Roxanne
by Topazia
Summary: The Ishbal war has ended and Roy returns home a broken man. Strangely enough, he finds comfort where he least expects it; a "prostitute." AU Roy/ED fiction. read and review please
1. Chapter One: The Whore

Topazia: Hi, how you? I posted this story like....forever ago. (I've taken it down now.) It was fun writing it but after a while I completely forgot what I wanted to do with it. That and I have short attention span. I'm not afraid of admitting that XD It's been ages but I've just recently remembered how I wanted this story to flow. The original Roxanne story has been taken down and I'm going through and rewriting it for fun (and for those that love this fic almost as much as I do).

Disclaimer: Ed does not belong to me. He belongs to Roy....there I said it. Enjoy

* * *

Chapter 1: The whore

Alchemists are supposed to be for the people. It's one of the first things they teach you in the academy. We are soldiers for the people. They also teach you that to obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That one simple phrase is alchemy's first law of Equivalent Exchange. Sounds easy right? It's not a overly complicated concept. Do not expect to gain something from nothing, and do not expect nothing to gain you something. That's how it was explained in training anyway. When you think of things in this way, the entire world follows this flow. If you give water to dry earth, vegetation will grow. The death of one thing can give life to another. It's all one big never ending circle.

As time moved on and I found myself in the real world, this principal didn't seem to exist anymore. I've seen enough death to last me a lifetime and not enough new life to ease the pain. Destruction was slowly becoming a everyday thing. And soon no one so much as batted a eyelash. Wars were necessary, there were for lack of a better term; for the greater good. When King Bradley stepped up to the plate he used this excuse to his full potential. The result was slow, but devastating; like a well made poison.

Ironically, after graduating from the military academy, I was given a job as a recruiter. Apparently our numbers were still short after one of the older border conflicts. That job didn't last long however. The Fuhrer signed a bill that allowed the military to use their state Alchemists as living weapons. The news came as a shock for all of us; though some took to the news better than others. We were mobilized, and sent out into the desert. It was on this day that we crossed that thin line. We were no longer Alchemists for the people; we were murderers.

~*~

The Ishbal war came to a bloody end as the sun begin to set sometime in July. The sky had already started to darken with the coming night, making the heavens above seem just as bloody as the ground below. A hazy fog had settled amongst the sleepy town of Ishbal, casting gloomy shadows over the battlefield. So many souls were lost and so many would remain trapped here forever. Gunfire echoed in the distance, the sound carried itself on the soft winds. _Ratta-tat-tat-tat_. The last body of the uprising fell to meet the dust. Cheers erupted from Central's army at their so-called victory. We had won. It was over. We were heroes; warriors of justice to the cause. If this was true and the fight was for a good cause, why did I feel like I helped create a holocaust? Nothing good could possibly come from something like this. It never did.

No mercy. Bodies of whole families lay littered on the ground like blood red decorations of death. Their faces were frozen into silent screams so horrible, it was a image I'd see in dreams for the rest of my cursed existence. Those were the lucky victims. Occasionally, when a soldier got too out of hand, the bodies were covered with so many holes they could only be described as meat. There were no faces to mourn over, only a overabundance of blood, flesh, and things I'd rather not describe. Adrenaline could be a bitch sometimes. So many people had died and most of them for simply stepping from the comforts of their own homes at the wrong time. Of course this wouldn't have mattered much anyway. Those who took refuge in their homes were slaughtered just like those fighting in the streets.

I've seen the soldiers do it. They'd quickly surround a house, weapons raised and ready before kicking the door down. Screams from the family within would waft from inside, leaking out into the city streets like a symphony of death. Occasionally a mad struggle followed when the soldier's prey tried to run. The solider would shoulder their rifle and aim for their target. Soon after, the anticipated shot echoed out into the air followed by an eerie stillness. It was a sound that seemed to send chills down the spine; cold chills that penetrated down to the bone. There were times when I truly believed nothing would ever make me warm again. Maybe in some way, we all felt this way. Sections of Ishbal seemed to glow as fires spread across the once peaceful city. The insides of people's houses slowly became engulfed in flames, often times with screaming inhabitants still in them. Childlike hand prints were forever encased on smoky window glass, their owner long since passed. In an instant, just like that the very homes that had brought them so much comfort over the years had became their graves. Gunshots, explosions, and screams slowly became constant haunting music that tortured the minds of all present. I've heard enough of it to last me the rest of this life and the next.

But it was over now. Supplies were packed up and prisoners were taken in for execution, which simply didn't make much sense, why not kill the poor souls now? All of their earthly possessions now lay in ruins back in Ishbal. We had won the war and now we would parade the evil Ishbalans through the streets for all to see. But perhaps a quick execution would have been more merciful, after all, what else was there? We were given direct orders to return to Central immediately and we did, like obedient dogs returning home with master from the hunt. The entire process was a blur to me. I don't remember cleaning up the camps, or boarding the train. Through the windows, everything looked the same as the world blurred by. If I slept I don't remember closing my eyes, and luckily there were no dreams. So this is what being dead tired truly feels like.

~*~

"Ah, nothing like home, eh Roy?" Maes grinned at me, taking a whiff of the night air as we unloaded the trains at Central station a few days later. It felt as if I hadn't been back in ages. You know that feeling you get in your chest when you visit some place new and exciting? It's the best way I could describe it. Stepping off the train, I felt happy. Ironically enough I hadn't really expected to come back to the old station. Just that thought alone made me glad to see it. There was a welcoming committee of soldiers waiting for us. They went to the train and started retrieving the luggage. We were told on the train that our bags would be delivered to us. First they would be inspected to make sure we hadn't brought home any dangerous bacteria. How nice.

"If that's the case we left home back on the battlefield. Before the stench of death, fire, and gun smoke their air smelled just like ours." I replied smugly with a shrug. Which was true, I had only been to Ishbal once before the battle had started. There was something pure about the place. Sweet smoke emitted from chimneys, signaling children to come in for dinner, the smell of wild flowers tickled the senses as the breeze carried the desert flower petals by. Life for them seemed to be frozen in a simpler time; a time period that we at one point or another seemed to have lost with industrialization, and steadily growing popularity of alchemy.

Hughes chuckled at the remark, draping an arm over my shoulders in a friendly gesture. Of course he paid me no mind; I had been making rude comments similar to this ever since we boarded the train for home. We wouldn't have made it as friends if he took everything I said personally. The war had left a lot of us scarred emotionally, at least those with souls. Not everyone found it hard to pull triggers during the war.

We waved to those we knew and left, starting a journey down the quiet streets. The night was still young and full of potential. Unfortunately, the only thing remotely appealing at the moment seemed to be my bed. Before long the tricky bastard lured me into conversation and had offered to buy me a drink. "There's a new place a lot of the boys had wanted to hit once we had returned home. It's called Angelic Perfection. It's supposed to have the best looking women on this side of the country." He stated, his lips already curving into a trademark grin.

Even I had to grin at that one. Shapely females prancing around in tightly clad outfits catering to your every need. Hell, the place sounded like heaven! Who in their right mind would turn down heaven after being sentenced to hell? There was just one problem with the equation. "So you're taking me to a whore house?" I asked. As my smile faded my sarcasm seemed to grow. It wasn't exactly something I approved of. True, natural male instinct and my own pure personality couldn't resist women. But all my female associates had decent occupations. Selling yourself for money was despicable. Surely there were other things you could do.

"No, no no; it's nothing like that! Come on, live a little!" Hughes chirped, slapping me on the back. "Take the stick out for just this time! Go because I'm asking you to go. You don't have to buy a lady if you don't want to." Eventually I nodded; something told me I didn't want to be alone with my own thoughts at the moment. A drink would most likely do me some good. The fact that Hughes was buying was a added plus. I'd get a few drinks, enough for a comfortable buzz, make it home, and then stumble into bed.

The small conversation continued until we reached the edge of town. A large three story Victorian house loomed ahead and we stared in awe at the architecture. From the outside there was no telling how many rooms the place could hold. It was painted a delicate white with light blue shutters. Warm light peaked out at us from behind heavily curtained windows and the sweet smell of burning candles and incense seemed to tease our senses as the wind carried it by. This form of entertainment was fairly new. The higher ups had only recently allowed the business to be created. It was still shunned by the majority of society so to avoid conflict the establishment was allowed to set up just outside the city.

With a shrug I ascended the stairs first with Hughes close behind. The steps lead up to a large porch, fenced in by professionally carved woodwork. From the outside it looked like a normal house. Who knows what we'd find once inside? The large oak doors were suddenly opened and two lovely ladies ushered us in, both wearing what appeared to be a mock form of business suits. The outfit consisted of form fitting shorts, a white undershirt, the suit's jacket and a black tie.

"Welcome To Angelic Perfection." They smiled, leading us both into what could be considered the living room I guess. We were led to a spacious sitting area. Plush couches lined the walls. In the center there was a coffee table with a few magazines on it. "Contact will not be made in this room. Free roam of the house is given to all guests and workers but play is to be preferably taken into the back rooms." The one on the left instructed handing us a fresh magazine.

"Orders will be taken at the counter." The one on the right directed us to a small desk were a young woman sat, tending to a few guests. "Enjoy your stay." With a soft bow, both women left us alone. It happened so fast, my head felt like it was spinning. Did they do that to everyone?

"How creative." I muttered flipping through the magazines; of course it contained the pictures of the 'workers'. With a sigh I tossed the booklet on the table and leaned back into the chair while Maes flipped through his. My eyes scanned the place out of plain curiosity. Despite it being what it was, the place had been made to look like a normal house. There were gold framed pictures dotted here and there on the walls. Every now and then you'd see a potted plant, flowers or decorations that gave the place a homey feel to it. Women walked around in various outfits accompanied by men and perhaps other employees, engrossed in casual conversation.

There were a few other men in the living room with us, thumbing through the books deep in thought. With a sigh I rolled my eyes to the ceiling. How pathetic, since when did picking a whore become a life changing decision? Oh well, can't say that nothing in particular caught my eye in the time that I had been sitting there. Yes, the women were very beautiful, gorgeous even. This place had all my favorite colors: blond, redhead, and much more. Despite the display my eyes traveled elsewhere, finally settling on a lone figure at the bar; a young boy. Out of all of the place's inhabitants this particular stood out for more reasons than I could count.

The young man was a blond, his hair had been tied into a thick braid that rested peacefully on his back. His pale face was covered by long graceful bangs that fell about his face like a veil. The only thing of his face that could be seen was his mouth and nose. His lips were slightly parted, moving slowly as if speaking in a dreamy haze; although no sound escaped them.

His body was curved and hunched over the bar table and the only movement that came from this still form was the occasional gentle stroking of the glass drink he held within slender fingers. Occasionally his head would lift to partake in small conversation, causing the wistful bangs to fall backwards from his face, revealing a set of dull golden eyes. They were the eyes of a person that had seen better days just like mines. Clad in only leather pants and a black undershirt the boy practically screamed perfection.

"You said something?" Hughes asked pushing his glasses further up on his nose. It was an old habit of his that usually meant he had learn or found something of interest. He never once looked up at me but kept his face buried in the magazine instead. At least he seemed to be enjoying himself. But then there was no situation that Hughes couldn't make comfortable. It was like his natural talent to be able to hold off the apocalypse with a reassuring smile.

"No, nothing." Came my reply.

"I think I'll pick this one if she's available." He grinned tapping the paper with his finger. "Gracia." I leaned in carefully, my eyes falling upon the figure he pointed to. She was a pretty woman with a soft smile and warm eyes. Her light brown hair shaped her face in a short bob that gave her a gentle and almost serene look. There were a thousand other places I could see her working and none of them even remotely resembled this place.

"She doesn't look like the type to work here." I muttered. "What made her work here." She had the look of a gentle teacher or something similar, a soft spoken nurse perhaps.

"That's what I want to know." Maes said slowly getting to his feet. He fumbled around in his pockets and handed me a wad of cash. "For the drink I promised and anything else you see. I'm going to the front desk." With a mock salute and a grin he turned and left me by myself. I couldn't help but watch with a stupid grin on my face as he paid for his lady. After a moment his chosen woman appeared to escort him away. What an idiot. Oh well, at least he was a happy idiot.

Of course after I had gotten my drinks I'd most likely leave and Hughes knew that. Whorehouses were uncomfortable places for me, as you must know by now I don't exactly like them. After he had disappeared my attention slowly moved back to the bar where the boy still sat. After a moment I got up and made my way in his direction. My sense of Civil duty just wouldn't let it rest. All parts of my mind screamed: this is no place for a child. Ignoring the counter all together, I made my way to the bar and took a seat beside him. Up close he seemed even younger, frailer somehow.

He appeared to be the quiet type, he never faltered even once since I sat down. In fact, he treated me like a piece of the scenery. I spoke first, curiosity nipping at me. "What's a kid doing in a place like this? Shouldn't you be at home?" There were so many children that had been displaced by our war. Kids that would grow old to hate everything that our military stood for and I didn't blame them. So why was this one here of all places instead of with the family that cared for him? Did he not have anyone waiting at home? There was an uncomfortable silence and for a moment I wondered if he even heard me.

The boy's grip tightened around his glass and he slowly raised his head to meet my gaze. His stare was vacant. They were cold and icy, leaving his face blank with the slightest traces of anger. "I'm no kid." He said softly. "I'm 20 and I can take care of myself without the help of you so called adults."

My eyes rolled towards the ceiling and I sighed. If I had 5 dollars for every kid that gave me a false age I'd be richer than the fuhrer by now. "You're still a minor _kid_." I made sure to put emphasis on the last word. "There's no way I'd believe you to be anything over twelve. By order of the law, you have to be eighteen to enter this place." Places like this no matter how sleazy they were generally didn't cater to teens, much less hire them. I think there was a law against it, or perhaps the other owners of these places still had some type of decency. Besides, no parent in their right mind would let their own child come to a place like this. It's not exactly the best place to absorb knowledge. To let complete strangers defile your body with their eyes for a profit just seemed plain wrong to me.

"You have no right to tell me what to do, stay out of my business." He muttered, returning his gaze once again towards his cup. "So, if you're not going to make a purchase. I'm going to kindly ask you return back to the waiting room or leave." I stared at him for a moment, failing horribly to keep the surprise off my face. So he did work here. Oh dear sweet merciful heavens was there no god?

It had to have been pure curiosity that made me dig into my pockets for the money Hughes left me and a bit of my own. Maybe it was his vacant stare, or his slumped posture that did it. Either way there was something that seemed to draw me to this kid. Perhaps pity or maybe I saw a bit of myself in him, maybe that's what made me do it. I sat the money on the counter and waited.

Without looking the blond snatched the money and pocketed it before downing the last bit of his drink. Stretching like a cat fresh out of sleep he rose from his seat and grabbed me by the hand. Together we passed the counter; he waved at the woman behind the desk and continued on further into the house. He took me through thickly furnished hallways and crowded rooms towards the back of the house were there bedrooms apparently were. We stopped a few times. He'd approach a door and tap on it lightly until a reply came back. Many of the rooms seemed to be full. He tapped again on yet another door and waited, when there was no reply he smiled. "Come on."

It was a small room and yet well furnished with a cozy bed and an attractive cherry wood nightstand. A small lamp on the stand illuminated the room in warm light. Along the walls there a few tall candle stands, the flames flickered cheerfully, making shadows dance around the room. Pictures of landscapes and other knickknacks decorated the forest green walls. To top it off the very same curtains that hid the house's interior from the outside were drawn closed. Nothing would be seen unless the room's inhabitants wished it. "Aren't those candles a fire hazard?" I asked.

He closed and locked the door, leaning against the dark oak with his hands in his pockets. "We're all adults here, right? Even a child knows not to play with fire, you'll get burned." His lips curled up into a smug smirk. "Or do I have to teach you?"

I'm pretty sure the look on my face wasn't very friendly; in fact, I made sure it wasn't but he never flinched. "No that's alright." He was either very calm or very arrogant, my guess was both.

"We're here so how do you want me," he stated dully with a shrug, "on my back or perhaps my hands and knees?" It was like a switch had been turned and standing before me was a completely different person. He stood a bit straighter but his posture was still relaxed, like he had all the time in the world. His eyes had suddenly come to life and the look deep within them gave me pause. I suddenly felt cornered by the gaze, it was uncomfortable. He stared at me intently; like he had found the world's richest chocolate and now it was just a matter of what to do with it. He took a deliberate step forward, putting a soft sway in his hips as he moved. I stepped to the side. He continued on, flashing me a smile before falling backwards on the bed.

He bounced for a moment before propping himself up on his elbows. Lying there like that, he looked like something you'd put on display. "You're serious?" I asked, unable to keep the surprise from my voice. As inviting as the invitation was, I preferred to sleep with someone on their own accord, not because I slipped them a wad of money. It was the one thing that seemed to make the whole situation just wrong. Well, that and the fact that this was indeed a child no matter what age he gave me.

"Well, you did pay me, so why not get your money's worth?" he replied evenly, his head tilted with curiosity. His eyelashes had lowered like a curtain over his eyes but that didn't exactly hide his expression. He looked like I had said something strange. The look clearly said: _of course you'd sleep with me, you gave me money_. "After all, I work here just like everybody else." Just like everyone else, huh?

"True, but why work here?"

His movements were fluid as he slid off the bed and sauntered back over to me. I was started to get that caged feeling again. I was in the military. I was the big bad killer and yet looking into his eyes it was obvious the roles had changed. This was his court now, his place of business, and his profession. He'd hunt me and do it well. There was only one way out, my feet walked me backwards until my back hit the door. There was a moment where he smiled, a triumphant smile, before he forced his small frame against mines. My chest ached and in that moment I realized I had been holding my breath. It released in a long, shuddering sigh. Everything seemed to loosen then. Why was I so nervous? He slowly wormed his way under my jacket. Careful fingers expertly worked the shirt from out of my pants and was rewarded with skin. "I work here for the same reason you went Ishbal." He whispered, tilting his head up to nibble at my collarbone.

That's right, Ishbal. That town of ruin would never be the same and maybe I wouldn't be either. I still felt shaky and every now and then my mind would revert back to scenes of death. This boy matched the height and size of some of the bodies left behind in the city. Damned why'd I have to think of that now?

"How'd you know that?" My voice came out as a soft hiss that seemed foreign to my ears. His soft touches and uncomfortable closeness was beginning to become painfully clear as the blood began to rush to intimate areas. He had the hands of a professional, a person who had been in this line of work for years. The very thought caused a soft pain of pity to form in my chest. I felt sorry for this kid. No one his age should have to be here.

"I guess you didn't notice, but your hands shook when I led you here, like you've seen something horrible." He muttered onto my skin. "There is a noticeable amount of calluses too. From handling equipment I take it. The skin under your clothes is covered with fresh scars." He traced a finger along one, resulting in a small shudder from me. "That and you still smell like gun smoke, just a little."

"Oh." He slid my jacket off and let it fall to the floor. All of my moral alarms were blaring at full blast. This was wrong, oh so wrong. I came here to discourage him from doing this. His fingers wound their way into my scalp, rubbing in soft soothing circles the made my eyes flutter. This kid was like a drug, an addictive drug that would slowly consume me whole. Each touch sent waves of sinful pleasure throughout my very being. I wanted him to stop but every sign of protest was rewarded with his hands tracing over my torso. Ironically he never once moved down to my waist. What a relief. I don't think I could take him pawing me there. My comfort level was already shot to shit.

That one thought brought me crashing down from cloud nine. That was right, he brought me here for sex. I couldn't stay here any longer. Each second wasted in his arms prompted me to action I seriously didn't want to take. He had a soft loving touch that seemed to draw me into a magnificent web of peaceful bliss and I was slowly becoming lost in it. Oh god, when was the last time someone touched me like this? His caresses were more comforting than sexual, although my body responded to both energies. When did I become so attention deprived?

It took two tries to steady my voice. When sound finally escaped my lips, it was just above a whisper. "No, don't."

"Why not?" he asked.

"I don't want to."

The boy tugged me off the wall, leading me towards the other side of the room. He smiled and gently pushed me onto the soft mattress of the bed. It was the last place I had wanted to go, but it seemed that all rationality in my brain had shut down. I didn't want to leave, but then I didn't know what I wanted either. "Please," he purred softly, resting his head on my chest like a content cat, "stay with me?" His pale and slender fingers gently stroked at the skin beneath my shirt. It was almost as if the scars fascinated him somehow.

On a normal day hearing this from a complete stranger would have made me very uneasy, but this kid was different. As I said a few paragraphs earlier I felt for him. He seemed like the type who was easy to pity and desperately needed it. Maybe that's what attracted me to the kid like a moth to a flame. I needed something to take of. My heart had probably had enough of ending lives; maybe it was time to save one. "I can't." I responded after a moment of silence. "I just can't." He blinked at me slowly. It wasn't a matter of him being confused anymore. At this point it was safe to say that we genuinely puzzled each other. It was easy to understand why. What type of a person goes to a whore house just to talk? The numbers were rare and few, if there were numbers at all.

"You keep saying that but you having left yet." He stated softly. "Why don't you just relax and let me do my job?" His eyes slowly traveled over to one of the pictures on the wall and remained there for quite some time as if transfixed by it. The only movement that came from him was a soft clawing as he hands clenched and unclenched around my shirt. Was he frustrated or just as nervous as me?

"Why should I?"

"Because," he whispered his head tilted slightly, causing the silky blond locks to veil his face again. "You're the first one to treat me like a person." It took a while for his words to sink in but when they did, they hit home. Working in a place like this you never really was considered a person. You were merchandise that was quickly sold off to the highest bidder. He stared up at me and his eyes had lost the confident glow they had started with. A deep emptiness and heavy knowledge was all that remained. We stayed that way until the minuets seemed to stretch onto eternity. Those eyes, that gaze; I'd lose my very soul to them.

"I've got to go." I said finally, gently pushing him to the side and sitting up. Child or not he was still a whore and one of the things I despised the most. The original plan had been to reason with him. Maybe after a talk he'd change his profession, but that didn't seem likely at this moment. "You can keep the money, I don't need it." It is said that curiosity killed the cat. I followed this kitten out of curiosity and look where it landed me. If I continued to lay there with him, who knows what would happened.

I tucked my shirt back into my pants and straightened my clothes and hair in the room's mirror. When everything was back in place I sighed. Some tedious habits never die hard.

His head lowered again and he nodded slowly, his eyes never raising to meet mines. Another pause settled between us and I stood there, watching him. "Thank you." he muttered after a while. _'You treat me like a person.'_ He had said. Who knows what others do to him. "I shouldn't have said that. It made you uncomfortable and-"

"Don't worry about it. I never came back here to sleep with you. I just wanted to talk." There I said it, the night was looking up. "Why are you working here?"

He never answered. His face had shut down, leaving him blank. It was time to go. After all, there was no reason for me to remain here any longer. He didn't want to talk and I couldn't make him. My feet carried me to the door. I picked up my jacket and draped it over my arm. "My name." That small sound stopped me. It was quiet and if I hadn't paused, surely I would have missed it. "My name, I never mentioned it to you did I? Ed, Edward Elric." He was staring again; I could feel him burning holes into my back. Taking a final glance back at the motionless figure on the bed I left. The name repeated itself in my head like a broken record.

* * *

Topazia: It's been forever since I've logged in. So much seems to have changed. It might be fun to poke around... I've started picking apart the other chapters as well. Chapter two should be up sometime in January. I noticed that it's easier for me to post chapters if I upload and edit them on the site. Then I like, have to post it right? lol shame on me.

This first chapter has only minor changes. I think the biggest difference is the fact that I didn't mention Ed's Automail. During their first meeting Ed still has his arm. I'll explain why in a few chapters. The automail leg is still there though. The second difference won't seem as big now. Roy actually meets with Ed to talk to him about his 'profession.' This was added because I felt their original meeting was too rushed and random (if that makes sense). This part will actually help develop a back story for Roy later. Also, once I got a review, stating that Angelic Perfection was more like a Geisha house. I know. Roy's just narrow minded. :3 Also, AP is one of those new businesses that isn't largely approved of yet. I'm hoping these changes in each chapter will bring about a better story. We'll see.

When writing a story, what keeps you from straying from it? I'm quick to stray from a idea, so if anyone has a few tips... :3

Also, my friends have talked me into blogging. Bleh, I NEVER blog. lol I mainly use mines for writing practice. If I could actually finish this fanfic, perhaps I could finish a book of my own? I won't be a lazy co-author forever! lol... I'll post the link for it on my author page. If any of the writing prompts (or anything else you see) I use helps you let me know.


	2. Chapter Two: Reminisce of Ishbal

Topazia: this chapter is for Hagane Pride. Thank you so much for the review, it really made my day. :D

Disclaimer: Do I really need one at this point?

* * *

Chapter two: Reminisce of Ishbal.

Elric. He said his name was Edward Elric. For some reason that name had stayed with me. It continued to repeat itself at the back of my head ever since my adventure at the whorehouse four days ago. God knows it wasn't because of the boy. Jeez, Even I'm not that perverted. It was probably something else. The name sounded little bells at the back of my head but nothing else. Ironic, seeing as my memory was one of the things I took pride in. You know that feeling where you forget something somewhat important? You know, the one where you can vaguely remember pieces but nothing overly helpful to put together the mystery? It's the best way I could describe it. Oh well, I'm sure it will come to me eventually

The name seemed to come with its own warning, along with a sinking feeling that settled within my chest. That just made things even more interesting. Did I know a member of the Elric family? Being in the military made that a possibility, but central is full of uniformed faces; remembering them all isn't that easy. I could honestly say that the name wouldn't fall under a friend category. In this line of work it was best not to keep too many close to the heart, in the end it would only make you miserable. It was like a never ending cycle of heartache. You made friends and then later war would make you buddies. Unfortunately it was those same wars that ended those friendships and then before you knew it you were saluting a decorated grave as it was lowered into the ground. I was tired of that happening. Elric could have been a comrade that had passed away during a prewar mission. That would certainly explain the sour taste in my mouth.

On a lighter note, since my return home I had been given a week off to rest. After that it was back into the office. God knows I would have returned sooner if they had let me. I needed to get back to my office and companions; the idiots were probably worried sick. A soft smile tugged at the corner of my lips. I'd scorch them all straight to hell if they even so much as though about giving me that pitiful I'm-so-glad-you-came-back-in-one-piece speech. Colonel Roy Mustang always returns _Victorious._

The sun peaked from behind the clouds, bathing everything it could reach in a ray of warm light. Overall, it was a beautiful day. The same probably could have been said for Ishbal if the war had never started. The sky would have been just as bright and clear as it is here; just another pleasant day. The wind picked up a bit, a casual gust that ruffled the clothes on my body. It was a day for casual dress so my attire consisted of a pastel blue button up shirt, black slacks, and shoes. The color was unusually bright for my usual tastes but I grabbed for convince today. The shirt was bright enough to actually make me appear a bit paler and my hair and eyes darker. It had been a trip looking in the mirror after dressing. With one hand resting comfortably in the pocket of my black slacks and the other wrapped around a bag of groceries, I started the long walk back home.

The sidewalks were fairly empty. The only occasional stranger passed you by along the way. The same could be said for the streets. Cars were rare these days. Only the rich and the important had them and I was neither. Just another dog. I made a right at the intersection and continued down the street lined with apartments of assorted color. My home would be at the end. Just up ahead I caught a glimpse of golden blond hair, tied back into a familiar braid. I paused for a moment. He was there just up ahead; the boy from Angelic Perfection. His attire remained the same. Everything on him was black from his short sleeved shirt, to his leather pants, all the way down to his matching boots. The only difference this time was the vibrant red jacket he held carelessly draped over one shoulder. He walked towards be silently, eyes downcast. His hands were shoved deep in his pockets.

He seemed lost in thought. His eyes were vacant, as if there was no one home and the person walking towards me was just a empty shell. With a pitiful face like that, one had to wonder where the hell his mind goes. Oh well. It's not my business right? I didn't join the military to play the role of a child services worker. National Alchemists don't get paid to babysit. Besides, who cared what the kid did during the daytime? Even as the thought crossed my mind I stood ruffling my hair in frustration. Goddammit, I cared. Although, I couldn't exactly explain why. There was only one thing to do; "well if it isn't the little whore." use my lack of conversation skills to insult him in broad daylight. The words dripped from my lips like acid, and the voice in the back of my head mocked me. 'No take backs.' It said. The kid probably heard those exact words on a daily; he didn't need me to add to the score.

Edward continued his walk, stopping only when he had reached my side. "That'll do Dog." He had a certain intellectual air about him, one that spoke volumes. His sarcasm could easily be backed up by facts or sheer confidence. If you had to go on voice alone, I'd say you were speaking to someone my age. His appearance was not only a distraction but a downfall.

"What the hell does that mean?" I spat back. Calling an officer a dog wasn't something you did lightly, especially a State Alchemist. No one outside the military had dared utter the word insultingly to my face. It would be a cold day in hell before I let a kid get away with such disrespect, especially one that sold himself.

"You are a dog; an obedient one at that." He held up a hand for silence. "You bark on command regularly for different reasons. The first being when master calls and the second reason comes at the end of each month whenever that government check comes in." He raised his eyes to meet mines in a slight glare that screamed defiance. "I bark on command whenever I'm given an order or presented with cash. Not so different now are we, whore?" My fists clenched and unclenched at my sides. The urge to knock him into the pavement was strong. He stood his ground and never flinched once, staring at me like a dare. Let's see who'd move first.

Silence. My mouth opened and closed a few times as I tried to think of a witty comeback. But what could be said to a kid that could speak deeply on my intellectual level? It was creepy in a sort of way how easily he could contradict me. I've never met a runt so damn perplexing and overall infuriating. God I was waaaay off my game. "Where are you going?" I said after another minuet.

"I'm off today." Came the reply.

"I didn't ask you that."

"Then I'm going nowhere. I'm just out for a walk." He shrugged, tapping his feet. "The exercise keeps my automail from feeling stiff around the joints."

"Alright, my place is just up ahead." I nodded down the road. "Come sit for a while." I left him there, staring after me. It was nice to know he shut up when confused. It took a minuet but soon I could hear his soft foot falls not too far behind me. He followed cautiously at first. Then after a moment or too he picked up speed to match my strides. The tiny two-bedroom apartment loomed ahead just down the street. I sighed at the thought of going back home again. Every day that I left I always came back this way. War makes you cherish the simple things you have waiting for your return. Even though I didn't have much, it was still nice to be able to say that I owned something. Fishing through my pockets I produced a small golden key. Ed peered curiously behind my back.

The door unlocked with a soft click. I shuffled inside with the boy behind me. "I don't normally do house calls you know." He said suddenly, stalking about the place like a curious kitten. Still air greeted us and the sweet smell of oatmeal scented soap lingered in the air from my shower earlier this morning.

"I'm going to ignore that." The thought of him doing house calls was just a bit disturbing. Just wait, one day Angelic Perfection will be listed in the yellow pages right next to the take out. You can order food and sex too!

He snickered, pretending to find interests in my lack of decorating skills. The place was plain. It was simple. There were limited decorations. The front door opened up to the spacious living room. My couches were tan and bare. They were good for sitting, or sleeping depending on the day. There was a small coffee table covered with paperwork and beneath that a medium sized rug. Along the wall opposite of the front door there was a bookcase with all the classics. A few of my own personal journals were there as well. Behind this area was a cozy kitchen and bar that I rarely used. It was clean, not a hair out of place.

I sat the bag on the table and begin putting the contents in their proper place. Edward grabbed one of the bar stools and sat down. Resting his chin in his hands he watched me. "Not a bad place you got here." A welcome home plant sat to his right. Every now and then he'd pluck at the leaves. It was from Hughes; a gag gift. There were other plants around the house as well. It was nice to know the ladies missed me as much as I missed them.

"Thanks." I replied. When I was done I paused, leaning forward on the counter. A soft silence had settled between us. It was nice to know that I wasn't the only one uncomfortable. "I've been meaning to ask you, where are your parents?"

That one simple question had opened the floodgates. Several emotions swam across his face in that moment, each battling for dominance. Ed smiled, lowering his head for a second. When he rose to meet my gaze again his face was pleasantly blank. "My mother she," he paused and licked his lips before continuing, "she died when I was young."A mother was one of the most precious gifts God could have blessed someone with. They are the first things you see upon entering this world. Mothers are beautiful creations; artists that try their best to mold their children into what they should be. To lose that gift at so young of an age was like losing a piece of yourself.

There was one more question that needed to be answered. My next actions would depend on what he said next. "And your father?" I asked carefully, leaning forwards to rest my chin on intertwined fingers.

"That bastard abandoned us long ago." The sorrowful expression quickly melted away into harsh resentment as his eyes narrowed into a glare. The kid seemed to sink beneath a veil of sorrowful despair. It seemed as if an old wound had opened and from it spilled innocent blood.

"Was he in the military?"

"No he just left one day and then mom got sick. She never recovered."

Now we were getting somewhere. "Alright, last question; why work at a brothel?"

He had the grace to look surprised for a second, but even that was quickly covered. "It pays the most money." Of course it does. His confidence was admirable.

"Why did you follow me home today?" It was a simple question and apparently a much-needed change of pace because he quickly lifted his head a soft, dry smile creeping across his delicate features. He sat up straight and brushed a few stray hairs from his eyes.

"Now it's my turn." He said. "You're Colonel Roy Mustang right? The Flame Alchemist?" I nodded. "Thought so." He smiled for a moment. "Why are you so interested in me Colonel?"

"Not sure myself; I guess you just struck a chord with me, if that makes sense."

"You felt sorry for me."

"Do you blame me? I know damned well you're underage. I just couldn't sit there and-"

"Alchemists thou art for the people." He interrupted.

"Yeah."

"You need help more than I do." He shrugged, standing up in a long stretch. "Psychically you're sitting here in front of me, preaching about your humanitarian ideals. It doesn't suit you at all. So don't go pushing your believes on me because you're feeling guilty. You've been home all this time, but they left your mind dying on the battlefield didn't they?"

My body tensed at those words, it was like a switch had been thrown and suddenly I was shutting down. There were a lot of words used to describe me. The majority of them evolved around the word arrogant. I was not this outwardly concerned about the well being of others. Subtle was my middle name. Ishbal was just too fresh I guess. After all, what normal person walks away smiling from a massacre like that? My eyes lowered first. God even my hands were shaking. No amount of Soap seemed to be able to wash away what I did or what I seen. I would be forever stained in blood, the very though sickened me. You never really think about some things until someone points them out. I hated it when that happened.

Rubbing my temples, I drew in a deep breath. The living room was suddenly filled with sounds of phantom bullets. In the hallway, I swear there was a thud, a hard sound like a body hitting the ground. Laughter seemed to float down the hall, just beyond my cozy bathroom. There was a blood curdling shriek in my bedroom. The sounds were everywhere and suddenly they seemed so loud.

_My vision became blurred as smoke slowly filled the room, making it harder and harder to breathe. A chilling feeling of detachment took over and soon I felt myself moving; no running. Voices escalated into frantic shouts and screams until the squad in front of me stopped at a wooden door. The General in charge was a large man. He walked forward carefully. His men parted like the sea. He stared at the barrier before him, a door, with expression that could only be described as amused. "Break it down!" he had said. _

_Bang! The door and bits of wood flew from the hinges. It fell to the floor with a crunching thud that seemed so loud I thought I had gone death. A thud. It was a sound that seemed almost constant. Something was always hitting the ground here. As a group we advanced. The house was fairly large. The lights were long gone; all was dark. The flames from outside were our lights. The infantrymen fanned out, covering various corners of the house. _

_I was armed; a standard issue pistil, two extra clips, and a hunting knife were my backup weapons. My main weapon was my flame. "Mustang! Smoke out the rats!" _

"_Sir!" I walked towards the stairs and ascended to the second floor. My hands flexed uneasily at my sides. If this house was anything like the other's they'd be in the back. The layout of the upstairs was simple; one hallway took you to everything. Careful steps made my footfalls silent. When I finally found a room I paused. There was a sound; the sound of frightened whimper. A woman whispered softly to her small child. It was too late. My hand rose slowly, but reluctance made it tremble. This was not what I had signed up for! "I'm sorry." I muttered to the room. Either I did this now or the others would come in and fill them full of holes. The human body could survive for a while with a gunshot wound if you aimed right. Well, you'd survive until the wound bled you to death or it got infected. You saw a lot of that happening to innocents too. A least this was they deaths would be quick. Not so much painless, but quick I could do. "I'm so sorry." A quick snap from my fingers and time seemed to slow. A small arch of red flame leaped from the tips of my fingers; the closet combusted into roaring flames. In the midst of it all a woman ran out. Her screams alerted the men from below. Her skin had begun to burn to her flesh, and yet she still moved. She clutched a wailing child to her chest. Damn! I missed.  
_

_The everything started spinning. I quickly backed out the room and walked down the hall following the scent of burning flesh. Men rushed past me on either side. By the time I reached the door, two gunshots sounded. At least the screaming stopped. I walked into the night air and sought refuge behind the house. The adrenaline was slowly wearing off like the affects of a bad hang over. When it was over I was left shaking until finally my body gave up what little contents I had consumed._

"_Two medics down! Two medics down!" The shout came from around the corner. Something had that this was news.  
_

"_Mustang! On your feet!" The general again. Wiping my mouth I rose on shaky feet. The others had already begun to head towards the call. God I was tired. We made it to a tiny small building a few blocks away. Once it had been a corner store. After we came, all the items on the shelves were confiscated for our use. The rows had been cleared away. The store had been converted into a medical ward. Now it looked like hell. The room was silent. The makeshift beds were covered in blood. Everybody looked the same; like they had been blown apart from the inside. In the far corner there was a couple; a man and wife…_

"Mustang?" I shook myself, feeling a little dizzy. There were no fires; the smell of blood was nowhere to be found. The screaming was gone and so were the sound of bullets. I was at home in the kitchen. "There you are." Edward said in a sing song voice. "You had me worried there for a second." He patted the side of my face.

"You call me a child and yet here you are breaking to pieces on me." He muttered with a grim smile "It's alright; don't run from what's bothering you. Stare it in the face; the fact that you're beating yourself up means that you're a good man." A good man, huh? His leg made a soft clink against my bar stool chair as he moved. My eyes slowly fell onto the auto mail leg hidden securely beneath the fabric of his pants. For a moment I wondered about the story that would go along with it. But as we all know, some things are best left unknown.

Call it a hunch, but something told me we would have been good friends under different circumstances. "You can't cling to sorrow if you plan on continuing to live." That sounded like something Maes would say.

War scars never healed completely. They always left their ugly mark. But the voice that spoke to me now was one of sweet promise. It was the ultimate form of irony. I was taking comfort in the one thing I disliked the most. He was a whore, a person that took money for favors. Then again, was I that much different in the long run? If the opportunity arose for a favorable position with good pay, I'd probably jump at the chance. "Why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden?" he was right and I hated it.

"Because," he had the nerve to look embarrassed, "you're the first to treat me like a person." Sliding from the bar stool, Edward walked towards me carefully. He approached me like a person would approach a bomb; something dangerous and explosive. Strangely enough, I had no desire to push him away. Any witty comment that I might have used was lost way in the back of my mind. For once, my head was clear and it felt damned good.

"So what, now you're my therapist?" I asked.

"It does come with the job description." I fought to keep my face neutral and failed. Whatever he saw amused him because he laughed. "I'm joking, I'm joking!"

"When I saw you earlier, where were you going?"

"I thought about trying to go into work early.. I didn't have anything else to do. But then I ran into you." He replied softly.

"You sure do work a lot."

"Back at you Colonel."

"Why?"

The boy again, brushing his bangs away with metal fingers. "I work for the same reason anyone works." He answered with a shrug. "The longer I work. The more money I receive. I do have bills to pay." I child with actual bills; blasphemy!

I met his gaze with a skeptical stare of my own. He ignored me, taking the time to undo the braid at the back of his head. He ruffled his locks for a moment, taking the time to run fingers along his scalp. "What's the matter, like what you see?" The kid smirked and I rolled my eyes.

"Don't pet your own ego kid, you're shedding on my floor." I answered. Looks like I wasn't completely out of witty banter. Point for me. "I was just curious about your automail, that's all. Another moment of silence stood between us. Looks, like that was another sore spot for him. "Do you have any other family?" I asked, quickly changing the subject.

Ed paused for a moment. Perhaps the question caught him off guard. "I have a brother if it makes you feel any better." He answered. Now he busied himself with braiding his hair again. When he was done he stood there. "You're not very good at this."

"Good at what?" I asked.

"Casual conversation with a stranger."

"No, I'm very good at that. It's only with you that I'm having this problem." It was an honest answer. Just ask the ladies, they love me. It was my job to deal with people in general. Hell, any job makes you deal with people. Sadly this kid left me blank and speechless. It was a rare occurrence indeed. "I guess in the end I feel like I should do something, but I don't know what to do with you."

"Curiosity killed the cat and it can do the same for a dog." He grabbed his jacket and swung it over his shoulder again. "Like I said, you're a good man Colonel. Everything's fresh now but in the end, you'll be fine." He headed towards the door and I followed him. "You can't save them all though." On that note he opened the door and left. I stood there in the doorway, watching him walk back down the street. Did I make him uncomfortable? Maybe.

"Wait!" I called.

He stopped and after a moment turned back to stare at me. "I have to go to work."

"I know that; just let me walk you there.

"What are you my mom?"

"It's just a request."

He stood there for a moment and then continued his walk. Smiling to myself I closed and locked the door behind me. Perhaps along the way, I'd figure out what I needed to say. The gap between us slowly closed until I caught up to his slow steps. He reminded me of a cat in some ways. He just had a lazy air too him, like he had all the time in the world. However, he also reminded me that like most cats that wondered the city, he probably didn't have a decent home. We walked together side by side and neither of us said a word.

Our journey took us into the more crowded part of the city after a while he said: "I'm going to walk a few steps in front of you now. Just ignore it." I said nothing but watched him pick up his pace. I didn't understand. After a moment he had increased the distance between us. In the sea of people his vibrant red coat and golden hair made him easy to spot. He kept his head down and walked forward, not making eye contact with anyone around him. After a moment the occasional cat call started. When stopped by a random passerby, he'd give them a smile and certain a certain amount of respect that I recognized. It was one you commonly used towards people you didn't like. It was an I-think-you're-a-bastard-but-I'll-smile-like-we're-friends-anyway look.

Any rude comment directed towards him was promptly ignored. He wouldn't allow anyone to touch him. When someone would try, he'd politely step away and say a few words. What was said couldn't be heard because of the distance, but it did say something. Based on his body language and manner in general it was obvious. Edward Elric didn't like his job, nor the annoyances that came with it. The buildings of the city slowly peeled away, their numbers becoming fewer and fewer. The outskirts of the city was dotted with small homes and farmland for miles. Amongst all of this Angelic Perfection loomed just ahead. During the day, it looked like some fancy home. Something normal where you'd expect to find a loving couple and children playing in the yard. At night however it seemed to transform. The music, incense, and decorated workers made it obvious of the buildings true intentions.

By this time he had slowed for me to catch up again. Without all of the people around the surrounds seemed peaceful. That's when it dawned on me. "You didn't want to be seen walking with me." It wasn't a question. Just a neutral statement. My voice held no resentment or anger, although there was a hint of curiosity.

"You're a man of the military. A person that's supposed to represent everything good about their country: hope, security, strength, and probably so much more." he shrugged. "What would people think if they saw you with a-" his voice faded.

"A whore?"

"Exactly."

There's a possibility I could loose my job if we were seen together too often. While the military understands that men will be men, they will not tolerate personnel publicly displaying their habits. If sex is what you're looking for, do it inside the closed walls of the brothel or designated place. The same thing applies for drinking as well. Don't do it on the streets basically. "I understand. Thank you."

Edward smiled again. The first thing we noticed was the sweet smell of incense, wafting on the soft breeze. There was also music. He took one look up at the closed windows and pulled me across the yard towards the back of the house. "Where are we going." I hissed.

During the day, everything is usually open. The curtains, the windows, everything. We use the time to clean and prepare the house for our guests." Every now and then he'd stop to look around before continuing. "The house is closed off like we're fully operational. That more than likely means we have VIP party in today. I can almost guarantee that it's military."

"So you're hiding me now?"

"It's either that or we go through front door." the blond responded. "You don't belong here, so I don't want you seen here either. You're a good man remember?" Well ain't that the pot calling the kettle black? But his words did make me smile a bit. He took me around to the back. He said it was the entrance for the workers and rarely used by other people. Ed stopped and slowly knocked three times before taking a step back.

After a moment the door slowly swung open and a brunette peeked her head out. I quickly recognized her as the woman Hughes picked during our first visit here. "Gracia," Ed grinned. "how's it going?" He waved, a friendly smile on his face. Ironically it was the brightest I'd ever seen on him. It was a nice look; made him look years younger and brought new life to his features.

She stepped to the side and allowed him entrance. He looked back at me, nodded the okay to follow. Once inside the one chuckled, look back and forth between the both of us. "Edward Elric, what are you up to now? Who's your friend?" She carefully brushed her bangs away from her face and straightened her clothes. The black skirt she wore fanned out about her knees gracefully. The red wine shirt she wore had white stains on it.

"This is Roy." He answered quickly with a nod in my direction. "Don't worry, he's a nice guy. He followed me home. can I keep him?" I tried my best to look annoyed but it only seemed to amuse him more.

The woman hid a soft chuckle behind delicate, flour covered fingers. " I remember you now." she turned and started moving around the kitchen again. Her hands moved quickly as she worked over pastries and various snacks. "Mr. Hughes talks about you all the time." she chirped. "Your friend seems to think you need a wife."

"That sounds like him." I muttered, annoyed but amused at the same time. Only Hughes seemed to be able to accomplish that. "How many times has he been here exactly?"

"Oh he comes to see me all the time." Gracia smiled softly, and again it reminded me of a teachers smile, or maybe even a nurse. She quickly began placing all of her dishes on a moving cart. "He's here now."

"I think that one likes you Grace." Edward teased and she giggled, straightening and dusting off her clothes. "So what's the occasion today? They have you in here cooking." Ed watched her like a cat, following her every movement until she plucked a extra pastry and placed it in his hands.

She sighed and shook her head, glancing over her shoulders to make sure no one was listening. After a moment she leaned in close. Instinctual Ed an I did the the same. "There's a new girl here. A few men in uniform brought her in a few minuets ago. She's a real feisty one." she whispered.

"What the hell do they do, kiddnap you people?" I asked.

"No, no, of course not." Gracia responded quickly with a shake of her head. "They say this one is a prisoner of war, a Ishbalan. The heartless idiots want to sell her to this place as a rare and exotic entertainer."

"For money? Now way?" Ed mumbled between mouthfuls of his pastry.

"It's true, instead of killing her, they figured they'd do the girl a favor by putting her to work here." The look on her face was cold enough to pass for borderline hatred. "Hughes told me about it when he came. He's against it but says his hands are tied because he's only here because of his superiors." After a moment she released a breath and straightened her shoulders. The frown was quickly replaced with a soft smile. Damn, working here appearances really must be everything. After a moment she quickly started pushing the cart toward another door, one that most likely led to the house. Edward quickly rushed to hold it open for her.

After she was gone the room was quiet again. "That woman; I mean Gracia," he said slowly. "does not belong here any more than I do. She's too kind for this type of work." He shook his his head and put the rest of his snack into his mouth. "She's supposed to be someone's loving mother or caring wife, not this."

"Why is she here then?" I asked.

"Her father ran into some big time debt with someone from the military. To pay it off she ended up here. She says she'd rather be a teacher. or a baker though."

"So that's it huh?"

Ed smiled. "Makes us look a little different now, right? The majority of women here has similar stories. We're not here because we love having sex with random people and to make matters worse there's that thing running loose."

"What thing?"

"Don't worry about it, it's nothing."

Maybe I had been a little too hasty to judge him or anybody. But when you're on the outside looking it, the only thing you can do is jump to conclusions. I still disapproved of this business though. I wanted to ask him about his own reasons for being here again, but just like before I doubted he'd tell me. Earlier the woman said that Hughes was here. I had to see for myself. My feet moved as if controlled by some unseen force. I found myself following in Garcia's footsteps. Quietly I pushed the door open and looked around. There was a small room that looked like the workers dinning room. from there you could hear voices coming from just a bit up ahead. Creeping along the walls I pressed myself along the entrance and risked a peek.

Gracia had been right, Hughes was there, but the thing that surprised me the most was the number of uniforms that filled the room. Gracia moved between them, handing out snacks when she stopped in front of Hughes, he politely declined. He looked like just being there left a bad taste in his mouth. From the looks of their uniforms we were both outranked by just about all of rooms inhabitants. I lifted my wristwatch and moved it around to catch the light of the chandelier. After a few moments of careful trying I catch Hughes in the eye.

The first time he took his glasses off and rubbed. The second attempt he looked my way astounded. He was rewarded with a smirk. He quickly made a reason to excuse himself from the room and carefully made his way over. One we were alone he took a spot on the wall besides me and lit a cigarette. "You look happy." I said.

He snorted, pushing the glasses up onto his face. "This is awful. They'll selling her off to the highest bidder like a piece of property." He nodded over to the group of men and I had to lean a bit to follow his gaze. They were all crowded around a young woman, circling her like vultures. The she had been tied to a chair, her head hung limply against her chest. "She came in fighting but now…"

Beautiful blond hair graced the top of this woman's head. The tan pants and sandy colored sleeveless shirt she wore had several holes in it. "Did they hit her?" I asked softly and Maes shook his head.

"No, she just put her head down." He answered. "But that's not the good part. Wait till you see her." Out of the corner of my eye I could see Ed move to the bar, his eyes watched the woman curiously as he took his place. He began busying himself behind the counter.

"Settle down now!" My attention was drawn to the center of the circle. A man stood besides the young woman. He was tall and thick, with skin the color of chocolate. The top of his head was completely bald and reflected the warm lights from above. The oddly shaped mustache on his face twitched with the movement of his lips as a thunderous voice erupted from it. "This delicate Ishbalan flower was shipped in a few days ago." He called out to the men, motioning with his hands to the girl besides him.

The woman's head snapped up once she was mentioned, her face set into a firm glare. "Murderous scum!" she hissed, fighting against the ropes that bound her in place. My eyes widened as I studied her features. I couldn't really see how they'd pass a blond off as a Ishvarite. That hair color didn't naturally occur in that area. Her skin probably had a healthy pink tinge to it, although now it was pale. She had a nice round face with stern features, but that wasn't what stopped me. It was her eyes.

"Hughes?" I mumbled softly and he nodded.

"Remember her now?" he asked grimly. I shook my head yes, running a hand through my hair. Those eyes, she had eyes that burned like a scorching fire. Not only because of her personality but because of their color. How could I forget her of all people? "She was our sniper from Ishbal, that woman is." I stopped the though process. Part of me was glad to see her alive, the other part needed to make sure she was safe. That's what _he_ would have wanted.

He nodded. "Yep, that was her; pretty good wasn't she? They barely caught her, if they hadn't, your pretty little head would have been splattered against the ground." Maes took a drag from his cig and let it out nice and slow. "Now what in the world could a guy like you do to such a pretty little thing? What would make one of ours want to blow your head off?" He always had nice eyes. Ever since I met him, I've always thought this way. They were perhaps his best weapon. When he wanted to a single glare could freeze you in your tracks. That same cold stare is what he gave me now.

I looked away. "It's a long story. I don't want to go into it, but I believe I understand her feelings."

He sighed. "So basically, you're a womanizing bastard and she decided to-"

"It's not like that!"

Hughes chuckled but only for a moment, then it was back to business. "Basque Gran, the iron blood alchemist." He stated. "There were always sick rumors about him but it seems after Ishbal his story just gets worse. This one included." My hand instinctively dove into my pants pocket. Wrapping fingers around familiar cloth, I pulled one of my white gloves free and put it on.

The soft fabric slid onto my hand and I flexed it. There was a comforting feeling in the power I commanded. As if the ability itself had a voice that said: _trust me and I'll make all the bad go away._ The red alchemy symbol the back of the glove seemed to burn new life into my fingers. "Heh, hell yeah, never leave home without them. A good old Barbecue does sound good." The woman had done no wrong; therefore it was my job as an active member of the army to liberate her. "Alchemists, be thou for the people." With a light flick of my wrist and a snap of my fingers a tiny spark was sent.

The woman apparently felt the raise in temperature because she jumped, fighting at her bindings until the burning material finally gave way and snapped. She jumped to her feet, causing uproar in the men around her. Maes frowned and pulled me out of view as the girl began her attack, kicking and punching anything that came into range before taking off down the hall and through the house.

Gran fumed, his dark face red with rage. "Find her! Don't let the Ishbalan escape!" The crowd dispersed as the men began a search of the house. Female workers slowly backed away to avoid confrontation as they tried to continue on with their jobs. They weren't paid to get involved, so it was obvious they wouldn't.

Ed quickly came from behind the bar and made his way over. Before I could speak he stood up tall and ruffled my hair, messing it as much as possible. He then snacked his arms around my waits and pulled me close. "Sorry it took me so long to answer. With so many guests around we're kinda busy."

Out of the corner of my eyes I could spot Gracia waving to Maes. "Come, come this way." I heard her say. It probably would be best for him to rejoin the others. Hughes stared at me quizzically for a moment. Whatever he wanted to say would have to wait. He smiled, gave a mock solute and quickly followed the brunette into the house.

"What are you-" he grabbed the front of my shirt and pulled me down towards his lips. My thought process stopped but instinct screamed for me to push him away. Edward clung to me frantically and the message was clear: please stay still. Voices from the search party could be heard nearing. My heart began to race. At this point I'd be caught. God know's what they'd do to me. The tiny blond fumbled around the wall until he hit a light switch. The dinning room well into a comfortable darkness, broken only by the light from the kitchen. That same hand turned my face a bit. Edward stepped back to smile. "Relax or you'll make me think I suck at my job. I'll get you out of here."

"Alright." I nodded.

Edward smiled kissed me again. As promised I tried my best to relax. The whole time my mind kept saying soft. His lips were soft. He didn't rush me, if anything he hesitated for a moment. When those same voices entered the dinning room doorway we both tensed. "Nothing's here but a whore and her man." A voice said after a moment. We didn't move until their footsteps faded down the hallway.

He backed away from me, a finger lingering on his lips. He seemed lost in thought but his eyes were on the doorway. "Do you always get mistaken for a woman?" I asked.

"Mm? All the time."

That must piss you off?"

"You get used to it. Just don't call me short."

"Sho-"

He covered my mouth. "I said DON'T say it!" After a moment he peeked out into the hall and motioned for me to follow. "Keep your head down and try not to draw too much attention. I just messed up your hair, so you still look like yourself." I didn't ask questions, just followed him with my head down. He led me back through the house, taking careful measures to avoid contact with the officers. We made our way to the back where the rooms where. He went about knocking. As expected the first room was empty.

"What the hell are you doing at a time like this?"

The blond smiled and tugged me inside. "It's a shame to let a opportunity like this go to waste, right?" He grinned and closed the door quietly. "They'll search these room next, isn't it exciting?" Exciting my ass, I circled the room like a caged animal. I did not want to get caught all because the kid wanted to play. Edward crouched down and took a running start. He collided with me midsection and we both tumbled to the bed. I lay there groaning for a moment. You never really appreciate the size of a kid until one randomly slams into you.

He straddled my waist, shifting until he found a comfortable spot. My hands moved to brush him off, but he deflected them, swatting them off to the side so he could claim my lips again. This time he meant it. Ed leaned into my mouth, pinning me down at the shoulders with his upper body. His teeth grazed my bottom lip and a surprised gasp escaped my lips. That was probably the start of my downfall. His tongue explored my mouth like he had found some strange candy and he was testing it out.

I wanted no part in this. It was wrong, but this didn't change the fact that it feel good. He pulled back with a lazy smirk. It was nice to know my discomfort amused him; always glad to be of service. I sat up hallway, rearing back to shove him to the floor when the door opened. Edward threw himself against me against me again. As if the entire situation wasn't weird enough, he took that moment to moan into my ear. "Sorry to interrupt." the voice of a officer wafted into the room for a split second before the door was closed again. The man on the outside announced that the Ishbalan woman wasn't hasn't been found yet. The group progressed down the hall, opening various doors along the way until they could barely be heard.

Edward lay there against me, his face by my ear. My eyes found the ceiling. We lay there for a while, neither of us spoke. What the hell do you say in that type of situation? "You knew they'd check the rooms all along didn't you?" I muttered after a moment."

"Mm-hm."

"Then why lead me hear of all places?"

The boy slowly got up and stretched before making his way to the window of the room. "Part of me wanted to play." he shrugged sheepishly. "The other part brought you here for this." He pulled back the dark colored curtains and let daylight in.

"An escape route?" I smiled and sat up.

"Well it would be a shame for you to take the time to play hero and then turn around and get caught." he replied with a shrug. "It's the second floor, so to be safe use a bed sheet." He helped me to my feet and then together we took apart the bed and tied the sheet securely to the headboard.

"I guess Hughes will be fine." I said, glancing out the window.

"If it's that guy, sure."

I chuckled. He was right, Hughes could make it through all layers of hell and come back with a smile and plans for a second vacation trip. I opened the window and swung the sheet over the edge. Of Course it wouldn't stretch all the way to the ground, it was just enough to help me escape without fracturing any bones. "This is goodbye then. Later Elric, thanks for the help."

The blond crossed his arms over his chest and smirked. "Likewise, Flame Alchemist." he held the end of the makeshift ladder while I began scaling down the side of the building. Halfway down, I jumped to safety just as planned. My only injury came in the form of stiff legs. From the window Ed begin retrieving the sheets. Everything seemed to be going as planned. The woman got loose and if I new Maes and the others, she'd be free by the end of the day. My flame would not be traced back to me. All in all it seemed like a pretty good day.

I turned back to the window to say my thanks when a shadow caught my eye. To my left, the rustle of cloth alerted me to my attacker. My hand flexed again and the glove that covered it seemed to grow warm yet again. A cloak covered figure rushed towards me and about a second later the silver of a knife glinting caught my eye. I stepped back and did the only thing I could think of at the time. The world seemed to slow again. Edward's voice seemed distant to my ears. He was screaming something, but I couldn't make it out. The hole time my mind kept screaming: its them or me. It's them or me!

The alchemy symbol on the glove gave off a soft glow as the heat rushed through my fingers. Ed steadied himself at the window before taking a leap down to the ground but it was too late. My fingers snapped and the friction between them delivered the final blow. He recovered in time to shout one last word: "Wait, No!"

The attacker disappeared behind a ball of flame."

* * *

Topazia: o_o I totally thought I posted this...


	3. Chapter Three: Eyes Like Fire

Topazia: Hello again :D  
Hmm...when's the last time I wrote a kingdom Hearts Fic?

* * *

Chapter 3: Eyes like fire.

There was smoke, so much smoke. In a instant, my fire had been quickly silenced. I stood there for a moment. My chest rattled and my fingers remained frozen in that infamous position just after the flame alchemy is released. _Calming breathes. Just take calming breathes._ After a minute or two the world slowed down, taking the rush of adrenaline with it. The smoke began to disperse. I knew it would only be a matter of time before the dogs inside came running.

I spun around a few times searching for him through the haze. "Ed?"

He responded with a muffled cough. "Over here."

Making my way towards the sound of his voice I stopped in front of a thick wall of dirt. It was a unusual sight. It rose tall into the air, about a good foot over my head. It was thick, dented and covered in soot; probably from taking the impact of my attack. At the base however, the ground around it had sunken in to form a small crater, as if the earth itself moved in the line of fire. "Alchemy?" I mumbled.

He stepped from behind his makeshift shelter and had the nerve to look embarrassed. "Yeah, did I forget to mention that?" the teen answered with a grin.

"Must have slipped your mind." Questions about his abilities would have to wait another day. There were more important things to think about. "They attacker. Where is he?"

Edward shook his head. "_She,_ is fine." He turned, clapping two dirt covered hands together before touching dirt pillar. It quickly collapsed, filling in the hole like magic. Now I had even more questions. Sitting on the ground was the woman from before. After a minuet or two she raised her head and our eyes met. "You almost did her in Colonel."

"You? You're my attacker?" It had been her eyes that made me remember her the first time in the living room. They were the color of golden honey, but there was also a slight tint to them that reminded you of the warmth from a fire. At the moment she sat there, staring at me with such a strong degree of hate that I looked away first. "We can't stay here."

The blond quickly helped the woman to her feet and ushered her forward. It was at that moment I noticed her hands were behind her back again. The kid must have restrained her at some point. That was a relief because the look in her eyes said she'd do a lot more than glare if she ever got a hold to me. "I know that. Come on, let's get out of here. My place is closer, we can stay there. This way." Ed stated. He took off at a slow trot and then broke out into a run. The woman asked no questions, she just followed. I guess if it was me running from the military I would too.

He took us across the yard and down the road. Every now and then he'd stop to duck behind a bush, or tree; anything to hide us from view. As expected, the front yard of the house was slowly filling up with uniforms. I smiled to myself. Maes was one of the men I recognized. He was busy at work giving search orders and splitting the men into groups. That damned Hughes would have them chasing their tails for hours.

"Come on!" Ed's words ushered us on. We started off again, heading into the safety of the city. When he slowed to a walk we slowed with him, until we were moving at a casual pace. A Some point he released the woman's arms so she could move them freely. Nothing said suspicious like a woman with her hands chained behind her back in broad daylight. We passed small businesses and government offices along the way.  
There were stores and schools, all tightly nestled into the web of streets that made up our city. We were heading deeper into the heart of the town. Downtown. The buildings were beginning to shrink in size and the surroundings weren't as nice and well kept as some of the richer districts. Still it was a humble place.

We filed behind the diminutive teen as he left the main road and started winding up through the streets. We stopped at a small brick apartment complex At one point the bricks might have been a vibrant red, now they were faded with age and weather. There was a post in the front that might have held a sign once upon a time. It was empty. I was actually impressed. It didn't look like a bad place to live. "I'm surprised Ed, you have a apartment?"

He shrugged, walking past the other doors on his way to his own home. "I was surprised as well Colonel. A man of your salary could afford a house." Well wasn't he just full of jokes today?

"Houses are for families. I don't have that." I answered.

"Is that so?" he stopped at a old brown door and fished around for keys to open the door. "Take your shoes off or I'll kill you." he muttered as he opened the door. He took one step in and kicked his shoes off at a mat by the door. The place was dark, save for the small ray of light from the opened door and a crack in the curtains. I stepped through the door first and took off my shoes. Our other guest did the same. When we were inside he closed the door and flicked on the light.

Like my own place, his furniture was sweet and simple. His living room was smaller than mines. There was a couch and a few mismatched chairs. in the center there was a small table with a pillow on the floor. Someone was probably sitting there recently. There were books and pieces of paper lying in random places. "Sorry about the mess." stepping deeper into the room he would stoop down to pick up a few things. "Al. where are ya buddy? Are you sleeping?" he called. "Al!"

After a moment there was a sound of moment to the right of the living room. My guess was the bedroom was there. "Edward?" the voice called, heavy with sleep. The spitting image of Ed, a young boy ventured into the room. He seemed frail. His shirt fit him like a over sized blanket and his shorts barely seemed to stay around his waist. Even as he walked he wobbled. Something told me he was more than just tired. Behind me the woman shifted uncomfortably. "You're home, welcome back."

Edward smiled. "That's right, I am home." he went over to the other boy and started patting his hair down. "Look at you, you're a mess. Did you sleep well?"

"Sleep well?" Al paused for a moment. "I did."

"Good." Ed turned back to us. "These are friends." He pointed in our direction and the young boy's gaze followed. He studied us like a hawk for a moment and then smiled. "This is Roy and a lady from work. She'll be staying with us tonight. Roy, this is my younger brother Alphonse Elric."

"Nice to meet you both." Alphonse stated with a smile so similar to his brother's it was painful. "You're the one my brother talks about. Thank you for making him smile."

The shock must have soon on my face because that innocent smile grew bigger. His eyes seemed to stare straight through me just like Edwards. I had no idea Ed talked to anyone about me. But then again, I didn't know he had a brother either. Oh well, there was one thing I couldn't deny however. I was the one that made Ed smile? Personally, I rarely saw him smile. It was nice to know that he could be happy at home at least. "Nice to meet you too Alphonse." I answered. "I didn't know you had a younger brother Ed."

"I don't blame him if he doesn't talk about me." The younger Elric said suddenly. "After all, I'm the reason he works at that place. I'm a burden, even if he won't say it." After all that was said the kid smiled. It was a empty smile but still.

"Don't ever think that." Ed scolded. "Al, you're not a burden, you never have been. You're my brother do you understand?" He gently grabbed Alphonse shoulders. The younger boy's gaze rose to meet Ed's "You're not a burden. You're not, alright?" When they were so close, they were very similar in height. Under different circumstances I was willing to bet anything they could pass for twins if Al was a bit healthier.

Alphonse opened his mouth to speak but paused, his hands flying to his mouth. The boy gagged; a sickening sound, and when he moved his hands they were filled with blood. No one in the room moved. The two brothers remained frozen like perfect little statues. "You're bleeding again?" Ed said after a moment. His voice sound cracked and dry. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want to be a bother."

"It's not a bother Al, this is what I work for. I need to know!"

"but I-"

"How much?" he repeated. This time his voice shook with something close to tears.

"Ed I didn't-"

HOW MUCH DAMN IT?!" I quickly went to his side and placed a hand on his shoulder. The blond flinched as if I burned him. After a few breaths the teen slowly made his way to the couch and sat down. Shaking he placed his hands in his lap and stared at the ground. Alphonse slowly turned and made his way towards the back. I heard a door close.

"Are you alright?" the woman behind me spoke for the first time since her outburst early. When she wasn't shouting her voice was just as melodic as I remembered.

"I wouldn't have gotten mad." Ed said softly. "I mean, of course I'm mad, but not at him. I could never be mad at him. I'm just frustrated."

"What's wrong with him?" I asked.

He shrugged. "What does it look like? He's dying. At first he was fine but then he just started deteriorating."

There were a few things I didn't understand. What was he sick with? Why did he keep his brother a secret until now? Earlier he mentioned his parents but no one else. "So you work to pay for your living and his medicine, right?"

"That's right. I tried all kinds of doctors. Only one would take him. The medicine is expensive though." He sighed. "Every month we go to the doctor and he's given a injection. It's supposed to slow the illness. At least until I find something else." Something else huh? Last time I checked death was unavoidable, but sitting before me now was a young man with a certain air of determination. I got the distinct feeling that he had told everything he felt we needed to know. I probably wouldn't get any more information from him today.

"You should go to him. Your brother I mean." The woman again. "He needs you right now, doesn't he?"

Damn I didn't want to be alone with her. Not yet anyway, but Edward nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you're right. Sorry about this. You're still welcomed to stay. He's not contagious, I swear."

She nodded. "Thank you." Ed rose to his feet and disappeared in the same direction as his brother. After a minuet or two we heard a soft tapping, followed by a even quieter "Al?" We waited in silence until the door opened and closed again. With both brother's safely inside, she spun on me.

"Riza I-"

She shook her head. "Don't say a word. I don't want to hear your excuses!"

I sighed, rubbing at my face. Suddenly I was so tired. Don't you just hate it when your past catches up to you? "Wait, don't do this. Start from the beginning. What happened?"

"Immediately after the massacre, I was approached." She started. _Massacre_. I hated that word. But to expect even for a moment that she'd sugarcoat anything for the sake of my feelings was laughable. "They looked into my background and found that my blood was tainted."

"Tainted? But that's not possible. That man, your F-"

"It was my mother." she interrupted.

"You didn't know?"

Riza shook her head. "She died when I was very young. I never knew and he never said."

A mixture between a Amestrian and a Ishvarite. I never knew. "You followed me into the military because of that promise then?"

"Yes."

"Then when the war started, you followed hoping to kill me?"

"Correct."

"So that would mean you believe that I breached our promise?"

She paused. "I do."

"Well I didn't." Riza crossed her arms over her chest. That look alone said she didn't believe me. "I never forgot."

She paced away from me, her eyes going towards the hallways leading to the Elric's room. "That power of yours is a gift. It wasn't given to you so you could slaughter people!"

I wanted to tell her that she was wrong and that my power was used for good. I wanted to tell her that what I did was right, but even I knew that the Ishval war was wrong. "You can say that but when you signed your name on those official military papers you became a dog. Dogs have to follow the master's orders, even if it's a bad one, or they'll get put down."

"So that makes what you did alright?"

I shook my head. "No, no it doesn't. But then, how many lives did you take?" When she didn't answer I smirked. "So then, you probably feel just as shitty as I do. The only real difference here is the fact that I used Alchemy instead of your bullets."

"That wasn't what I signed up for." Riza stated softly.

"It wasn't what any of us wanted." I replied. "But that doesn't mean we can just pretend it didn't happen. I'll give you the same choice as Hughes. You can either follow me to the top or let your pity drown you at the bottom." There was no point in waiting for a answer. I wasn't going to just sit around while she considered it. Walking towards the brother's bedroom I tapped lightly on the door. After a minute Ed's muffled voice answered back.

"Yes?"

"Is everything all right?"

No answer. A few seconds later the door opened and the blond stepped out, quietly closing the door behind him. "He'll be alright."

"How long has he been sick like that?"

Edward shrugged, leaning with his back against the door. "It started with a accident when I was 11." He began, his eyes settling on the carpet. "I lost my leg and he lost;" he paused. "he lost his health and memories."

My eyes trailed down the front of his body, stopping at the his slender legs. "A fake leg?"

"Automail."

I had heard about a lot of soldiers receiving the surgery for Automail Limbs for various reasons. With every story also came the horrific accounts of pain and months of rehabilitation. There was also a chance that the operation could go horribly wrong, leaving pieces of your body completely numb. This kid had gone through a procedure that many grown men had even shied away from. If anything he definitely had guts. For once, I was beginning to see him for what he really was instead of what he did. Edward Elric was a man, a young adult with family and responsibilities just like the rest of us.

He tilted his head at me for a moment and then smile. "What's with that face Colonel?" he muttered softly. I opened my mouth to speak and he silenced me quickly. His index finger pressed lightly against my lips. It was a simple movement, and yet it stole my thought process away. "Don't look at me like that. I'm not a charity case. Besides," he said with a smile and shrug. "I can take care of myself, remember?"

After a moment or two I nodded. "Alright, I understand. I think I should leave now, so I'll be going. Please take care of her." I nodded towards Risa. Her back was turned to me. She never once flinched when she was mentioned. Seemed like all of us had something or another on our minds.

Ed glanced between us curiously, but said nothing. Quietly he walked me to the door, opened it and followed me outside. "That woman," he hesitated. "Is she important to you?"

"Jealous?"

He blushed, shaking his head furiously. "It's not like that! It's just that, the air around you two is so tense. I was just curious."

I paused to study him for a moment. He stood there, shifting his weight awkwardly from one leg to the other. His head was lowered, allowing his bangs to cover his face like a curtain. He was a oddity with many faces. There were times when his face was so blank, his mind seemed to be lost thousands of miles away behind the dullness of his eyes. Other times his presence was so small he seemed to shy away into the background as if he were trying to disappear into thin air. However there was also a fiery presence about him, that when ignited shone like the Sun itself. He was a man in all aspects of the word, but he was also still a child, and no amount of hardship would completely take that away from him.

"She is a reminder for me to never, ever forget myself." I answered with a smile. "When you find a person like that for yourself Elric, you'll always be able to walk and stand tall. Even when the world falls down on your shoulders." I headed down the walkway and into the street. Risa emerging at a time like this was definitely interesting. Part of me was relieved she was safe. Part of me was concerned about her future. She had escaped from the military after all. How many people could say that? Something told me that Ed would keep her safe. At least that was one one less thing to worry about. On the other hand, I'd also learned interesting things about the Elric boy as well. He was a young alchemist, the youngest I've ever seen. On top of that, now that I stopped to think about it. When did he have the time to draw a transmutation circle? I never even remember seeing one. My head felt so full I thought it would burst.

~*~

As promised, a week passed and I was allowed to go back to work. Having a week of downtime seemed ridiculous to say that I just came back from battle, but I asked for it. I needed to keep moving, if I stayed still too long the dark thoughts in my mind would consume me. In the beginning, I rose with pride, put on my uniform with a sense of duty and went to Work because I just knew I'd make a difference one day. Now I was going because Central and all of it's higher ups owned my soul. I had sold it to them as soon as I accepted my state alchemist license and name.

Upon entering the building I nodded to my familiars and continued down the winding hallways. I took the stairs up to the second floor where my office was. A wave of nostalgia washed over me. Some part of me missed this damnable place. No, that was wrong, some part of me missed the people I left behind. Before I knew it my feet had carried me outside my door. Just beyond was my office. My hand wrapped lightly around the doorknob, allowing me to push it open.

For a moment everything in the room stopped. Havoc froze, his face filled with bewilderment. The cigarette in his mouth dangled carelessly between his lips. Breda's hand was stuffed deep into a bag of chips. Fury paused his work on a radio transmitter, looking around at at the faces of his comrades he followed their gaze. When his eyes settled on me he grinned. The smile on his face was gentle and warm. Farman was the first to speak, standing abruptly with a salute. "It's great to have you back Colonel, sir."

I smiled, closing the door behind me. "At ease Farman. It's nice to see you too." The man slowly let his hand fall to a side. After a second or two he smiled and sat back down.

"You're back early Roy." Jean stated, leaning back in his chair with a yawn. "I figured you'd at least take a longer vacation."

"Yeah, well I couldn't stay away, especially with you trying to burn down my office with your bad habits. Put it out or I'll put it out for you." I walked pass and went to my desk, trailing a gloved hand along the surface before taking a seat. Good to be back in business.

Havoc plucked the cigarette from between his lips, crushed the tip between his fingers and threw the remains in the trash. "Just walked in and you're already barking orders."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." I smiled.

"At any rate, things have been fairly quiet since the end of the war was announced." Fury started. "The military's main concern at the moment seems to be clean up. They're boosting public moral by releasing various reports in the daily newspapers but-" he paused and Breda picked back up.

"But the accounts of what the public is being told isn't what we saw." he said in between bites. "I know it's important to have the people support the military but the stories don't add up. I mean they start off okay, but the more you read, it's just lies. We know that we were sent out to stop a rebellion, but some of the accounts about the war are off."

"How so?"

"There are many eye witness accounts from military personnel that clearly state that there were a large number of soldier bodies that had been found tortured to death on Ishbalan soil." This came from Farman verbatim. "The victim's of course will not be named out of respect for the families in mourning. The battle ground is depicted of being a bloody massacre in which Ishavrites reacted negatively to having Amestrians occupy their lands. According to the paper, Ishavrites resulted to ritualistic torture in a attempt to punish the invading torture."

Leave it to Farman to swallow a entire news article and regurgitate it later word for word. Still, he was a good man and a even better soldier."That's ridiculous, they weren't a violent race of people before we arrived." I said.

"Yeah, but the war dragged on for so long, Amestrians started to react negatively against it." Fury shifted his glasses on his face. So basically, to keep the government from looking like the big bad wolf, someone made up fairy tales about torture. Hard to hate your government when they're protecting you from torturing terrorists. How nice.

I nodded. They didn't have to say anything else. The war was ridiculous to begin with. I trusted my men, meaning that I could bet my life on their word and come out on top. Based on this information, not only was the war probably pointless, but also a cover up for something bigger as well. I'd have Hughes check it out when he returned to work, whenever the hell that would be. The office settled back into a routine that was so familiar it made me smile.

The sound of papers shuffling was like music to my ears. Fury returned to his tinkering, every now and then the found of his tapping could be heard. Farman and Havoc quietly discussed minor facts, comparing notes for their individual paperwork. Breda crumbled his bag of chips and and tossed them aside. "The number of heads in the military has dropped." He said.

"That's only natural after a war." I answered.

"You do realize the only reason you were allowed back so soon right? We all had weeks before they allowed us back into the building."

I wasn't clueless, I asked for a early return knowing what would happen. State Alchemists were glamorous titles in this country. They were like the modern day superheros you read about as a child. "Of course I do. The military needs head hunters."

He shrugged. "As long as you realize that. At any rate, I'll set off as soon as you need me too. Just tell me where to go."

"Of course, but don't worry to much. Let me see what's going on before I-" There was a knock at the door. All movement in the room stopped. All eyes locked onto the door. "Come in." I called after a moment. Nothing. We all waited no one moved. The door swung open and Hughes entered, a cheerful smirk on his face. "Roy! Good to see you back in office." He closed the door behind him, waving cheerfully at my subordinates.

"Didn't expect you back so soon."

He shrugged, plopping down lazily in one of two chairs positioned in front of my desk. "Ah, well, I knew you'd be heading back soon. So I said, what the hell?" he chuckled. 'Besides, it'll be harder to follow you to the top if you get too far ahead of me."

I shrugged. "That's true. I see you made it out of that establishment alright." There was no need for the others to know what we were talking about. It wasn't that I didn't trust them. It was just necessary information. "Anything interesting happen after I left?"

"Oh you bet." he said. "We searched the place top and bottom and the captive still hasn't been found. She has been declared dead." That one statement made me pause. When I looked up those eyes were staring intently at me.

"Dead, why so soon? It's just been a week. Usually it takes longer to call off the search."

"The woman in question entered the blue zone under a false Identification." he began again. "Before the dust could settle, a investigation was launched. Her tie in with the garden variety was discovered then. The information was then dangled in front of her and later used to harass her."

"Meaning that all evidence of their secret investigation was probably destroyed? They meant to make a profit. Either way there was something to gain."

"Exactly." Hughes nodded. "No one wants to get caught sticking their hand in the cookie jar right?"

There was still one more thing Maes was hiding from me. Naturally, he'd withhold information until I asked the right question. "So, how did she die?"

He opened his jacket and fished out a newspaper. Flinging it on the desk, he leaned back and waited. Alright, I'd play along. The paper's headline story was a murder. A madman was on the loose. According to the article his victims were always women and they were all found in the same way. There were apparently two bodies found butchered in one of central's back alley's. "A damn same to do that to a woman." I said with a shake of my head. "How many bodies were found." If my suspicions were right, the number he'd give me wouldn't match what I just read.

"Just one." he smiled again.

Jean glanced our way once and then returned back to his paperwork. As interesting as our conversation may have sounded, the others would never piece together who or what we were talking about. The blue zone was one of many codes we used for the military. Meaning Riza followed me under a fake name but was discovered just shortly after the war had ended. Many of the military's Ishvarite citizens had disappeared during the war, never to be seen again. She was just one of many. The only difference is that she was alive and well. Who knows what happened to the rest.

Only the color of her eyes really gave her away. Upon investigating into her alias' background, they must have discovered the truth. I doubt the Furher would want to learn that some of his subordinates lost a woman with Ishvalan blood in Central. According to the news article, the murderer's victims were prostitutes. Seeing as they were trying to sell Riza to Angelic Perfection, they'd probably claim she was killed tragically after she was just hired. They had to say something. Several workers probably saw her that day. If no one asks, then they have nothing to worry about. Either way they used a murder to cover her disappearance.

"This is really a bit much, don't you think?" I asked. "All of that to cover up the disappearance of one woman?"

"I don't know." Hughes said after a minuet. "Better safe than sorry."

"I think it's more than that."

"I think you're a smart man Roy. I just figured you wanted to know what happened after you guys left."

"It's certainly interesting."

"Just doing my job." he folded his hands in his lap. "I had a unusual request three days ago." His face had gone serious again, all signs of laughter left his face. "I forged some papers to do this. So it better be worth it in the long run."

I did my best to keep my face nuetral. "Okay, that's nice but I have no idea what you're talking about."

There was another knock on the door. My, my, weren't we busy today? "Ah, right on time." he chirped. "This should answer everything."

I didn't like the way that sounded. "Come in!" I called. If this was a joke, I swear I'd torch him to high hell. It was my first day back and I was in no mood for pranks.

The door opened and Riza stepped through it. Her hair had been clipped neatly to the back of her head. Her uniform was clean and pressed to perfection. She stood in the doorway and studied the room for a moment before stopping her gaze on me. She didn't smile, she simply stared. Her eyes burned with something that had nothing to do with their color and everything to do with determination. She made her decision.

"She asked me to re-enter her back into the military database using her real information this time." Hughes explained.

I stared at her. After we rescued her from Angelic Perfection, she had a chance to live normally and not be bothered with the military. Despite that here she was ready to work. "Are you sure about this?" I asked.

Neither of us said anything. A moment of understanding passed between us. This was a point of no return. Suddenly she straightened her back, executing a salute before saying, "Riza Hawkeye reporting for duty."

"At ease soldier and welcome aboard." I smiled and the room filled with chatter. Havoc was the first to race to her side, introducing himself as single and available. Too bad he's not her type. Farman remained stiff as ever in his introductions. Fury played the role of the boyscout and offered to give Riza a tour later. Breda also made his introduction as well. Looks like the family was just getting bigger and bigger.

"Perfect place for her, don't you think Roy?" Maes asked. "She can hide in plain sight an no one will look for her."

"Because the escaped Ishvalan woman died." I finished. "Sounds good to me."

She politely broke away from the others and made her way over towards my desk. She nodded at Hughes before returning to me. "Colonel, there's something I'd like to ask; a request before I start working under you. Do you have a minuet?"

A request? Hughes arched a eyebrow at me. I knew that leaving the room with her would only fuel his barrage of jokes, but I also knew that I couldn't just ignore her either. "Alright, lead the way." I stood slowly and excused myself from the room. Something told me this would be personal. During the war there wasn't a good opportunity for us to talk about the good old times. It seemed like now we'd get that chance.

~*~

The sun slowly disappeared behind the buildings of the city, painting the town in a soft red. It was a typical evening. The warmth from the wind was slowly disappearing, signaling the coming of twilight. It would only be a matter of time before night would settle on the city. The streets were quiet. It seemed like the town went to sleep when the sun went down.

There was a soft tapping however; a constant rhythmic noise that sounded through the air like a tempo from a metronome. It was the sound of a woman's heels. _Click, clack. Click, clack. Click, clack._ He inhaled sharply, as if the sound itself had a distinct scent and succulent flavor. Chuckling softly to no one in particular, the young man crept along. He followed her where ever she went; pressing his body into every shadow when she paused to look around.

Oh, she was a beautiful, young thing! So healthy he could almost hear her pulse in his head and taste it in his throat. Or wait a minute, maybe that was his own pulse frantically beating within the confines of his body. He _was _excited after all, so it made perfect sense. She was a thick brunette with curvaceous parts ripe for the picking. Her hair had been curled so that it bounced with every movement. Everywhere she went, she left a light fragrance behind. Perfume perhaps? She was heading to that _special place._ He could tell. Too bad; it was really a shame that she'd never make it there.

Sneaking up behind her, he quickly clamped a hand over her mouth, dragging her into the nearest alleyway. She struggled fiercely. God he loved it when they did that! It made the blood flow that much more easier. Her light gray eyes fluttered furiously beneath lightly painted lids. He quickly slammed her down to the ground, making sure to straddle her legs with his own body. The first few would kick him. He knew better now.

The woman gasped and pleaded with him. When that didn't work she readied her breath to scream. He waited until that moment to produce a Cimeter knife from a from his side. The large, curved blade gleamed in the dim light of the alleyway. Before the scream could escape her lips the weapon penetrated the flesh of her neck down to the bone. Her scream came out as a pitiful gurgle. Her foot scraped at the cobblestone ground, connecting with something thin but solid. The item slid away and into the sidewalk where it would remain until found the next day.

It was a simple ID. The woman smiled in her picture, her eyes filled with laughter. To the right of the picture the words Angelic Perfection were printed in gold words just above her name...

* * *

Topazia: Thank you to everyone who reviews. If it wasn't for you guys, I probably wouldn't have started rewriting this story. No point in writing it if no one likes it, right? lol I really appreciate the comments you give me. I'll use them to become a better writer. Just to answer a few questions, yes as you can see, Ed still can use Alchemy. As the chapters go on you'll see more and more of it. I'm debating on whether or not to make him join the military. So that's still up in the air. Just as I'm slowly introducing the protagonists, Envy and the others will start to show up too.

In the original Fanfic. Ed had both a automail arm and leg. In the new rewrite he only has the automail Leg. It probably doesn't sound like much of a exchange when he has Al sitting at home, but it will all be explained soon and the famous automail arm will make a appearance. Also, I want the relationship between Ed and Roy to be sexual...but I want to build to it instead of jumping right in. lol Am I taking too long?

I've been thinking of doing a random side fic for Saint Paddy's day. For a name I was gonna call it "Pinch Me" Tell me, what do you think? Should I write it? Yes or no?


	4. Chapter 4: Dangerous Games

Topazia: ...damn, I must have rewritten this at least ten times before I was even remotely satisfied with it.

* * *

Chapter 4: Things that go bump in the night

The ceiling of my office swirled in a wave of colors as I leaned back into my chair. The plush brown leather seat creaked angrily at the abuse. It was the kind of sound that warned you that if pushed a bit further, disaster might strike. It was a lazy day in my opinion. The sun outside rained down glorious rays of light that heated the large open windows of my office as well as the room itself. The sky was a rich deep blue that was occasionally interrupted by a few thin clouds.

There were several things that I could imagine doing at the moment; none of those things involved work. Sadly, I had just recently returned and already it felt like it was time for a vacation. Don't you just hate that? In the middle of my musing, a sound caught my attention. It was the soft tapping of china on hard oak wood. _Clink._

Leaning forward again, my eyes focused on Riza. She sat the coffee cup in front of me, along with napkins and a saucer. I didn't have to ask to know that it was made just the way I like it; exactly two spoons of sugar, and two spoons of cream. "Thanks." Just the smell alone was enough to tie my stomach into pleasurable knots. I couldn't describe it, but there was just something wonderful about the first cup of coffee in the morning.

She nodded quietly as I grabbed the cup and took a sip, rolling my eyes up to study her face. She remained blank as ever despite being under my tender care for about three days. Not that I minded. Riza was not the type of woman to easily assimilate to the masses. I preferred her this way. God knows we needed someone else intelligent other than Fury and myself. If she was bothered by my careful examination, she never said. Instead she began laying out several sheets of paper and photos in order. She was very particular about being organized; yet another plus.

Just from looking at her, you'd never be able to tell the difference. However, I had known her for years. Every now and then her left eye would twitch and the muscles in her jaw would shift like she was fighting to keep her face clear. Riza was in pain. Of course, I knew that without having to watch her face. You see, I was the one that inflicted said pain upon her. So terrible of me, I know.

She cleared her throat suddenly. I blinked, bringing my attention back to her face. She gave me stern eyes. Eyes that clearly said: _Don't worry about it_. With a lazy shrug of my shoulders I smiled, leaning to the side so I could rest my chin on the palm of my right hand. "What do we have here?"

"I fetched the finished police reports like you asked me." She responded, motioning to the line of articles on my desk. I've taken the liberty to go over all the information and sorting out the useful from the unneeded."

"Did you now?"

"Yes." She pointed to the first file on the far left. "They're in order from the first murder all the way to the most recent. Each case have images, and even a few witness reports, when those reports could be obtained. Most of the locals-"

"Didn't hear anything." I finished for her.

"Correct." The office was silent except for our own voices and the occasional sound of pens scraping against paper. Each individual had their assignments for today. We couldn't afford to relax as much today. While I'll admit that things were slow, there was still a good amount of paperwork to be done. The crime rate decided to shoot up over the past few days. From the looks of things, it didn't seem like it would lower anytime soon. The wave of murders plaguing the city was thought to be carried out by a group of men by local police. I for one knew without a shadow of a doubt that it was the work of one man. After the culprit had successfully evaded the police, there became a general outcry for the military to help bring the one responsible to justice for the sake of the people.

"You've organized this quite nicely." I said shifting through the information. "According to this, you've found similarities between each case?"

Risa nodded. "First, each victim was obviously female, as you can tell from the pictures. Also, in each file, every woman had a name card in her possession."

"Is that so?" Obvious was a strong word. The first thing you noticed from the pictures was that the bodies had been reduced to raw meat. Only after a few minute of staring could you piece together the smaller details.

"Yes, they were all workers from Angelic Perfection."

How unnerving that the world wasn't safe for even prostitutes. Ironically the first thought to pop into my head was Edward. I for a moment I wondered how he felt about all of this. After all, I was staring into what was left of one of his co-workers. "That place again. What happen, did the murderer have a bad experience?"

Jean chuckled. "A bad experience with a prostitute Colonel? What would you know about that?"

I smiled, leaning back into my chair again. "I know plenty Havoc, tell you mother she was overpaid." The room erupted into that masculine laughter that's sometimes shared between men. Even Fury had to chuckle quietly to his self. Hawkeye simply shook her head. I bet money she considered us all idiots. It must certainly be interesting for her, being the only woman and all.

"If you're finished?"

"Yes, please continue." Stifling another smirk I focused back on the matter at hand. Riza pulled to information of the most recent murder in front of me and flipped through to the pictures. "I noticed something different about this woman's ID."

Staring into one of the ID photo I saw a lovely redhead with light, bouncy curls and mischievous green eyes. It was the type of gaze that would promise a man anything if the price was right. Her makeup was light and artful; just right. Beneath the image was her name. To the right was the Angelic Perfection logo, the alchemic sign for perfection, as well as the name. Beneath that was the letter's VIP written in gold. "VIP?"

"VIP is a acronym that stands for Very Important Person, sir." Farman's voice sounded crisp and clear as he recited the definition word for word. "VIP is a title that that signifies favoritism usually within businesses or social groups."

I rubbed my temples. "Yes, thank you, but I already knew the definition." One day I swear I'd get him piss ass drunk; bet he'd lighten up then.

"I apologize." With that said he returned to his work.

Basically, there was a single murderer on the loose targeting prostitutes from Angelic perfection. The bodies were always found in strange places, meaning that they were most likely killed someplace in secret and discarded away from the actual murder scene. There were still a few questions I needed answered before I could organize a team. I'd most likely end up setting up a trap to lure the murderer out into the open. However before I did any of that there was something nagging me.

There was one place to go when you needed information fast. It was a good source, not to mention one of my favorites. The information source was very reliable and the advice was profound. At the moment, I needed advice. "Hawkeye, handle my calls and take messages while I'm gone. The rest of you, continue your paperwork and finish any other projects you were working on."

Riza raised her hand for a salute. "Sir."

"I'll have the new transmitter radio repaired by the end of the day." Fury smiled.

"Good, it's about time we got a second one." With that said I grabbed my coat and headed for the door.

The door closed behind me with a crisp sound that echoed into the bright hallway. The walls were painted white and decorated with various paintings and plaques. The floor was black marble that had been buffered to perfection so that it reflected everything like a dark mirror universe. Overhead large chandeliers dropped warm yellow light from above.

My destination was on the other side of this building. Hughes and I worked in separate departments, but if I ever needed information, it was a simple matter to pay him a visit. The hallways were quiet as usual. The traffic flow was almost nonresistant. It looked like a slow day for everyone. It was rare to see the halls this deserted.

The building itself was fairly large, however it was only about a six to ten minute walk, give or take various distractions. You always knew when you neared Maes' office. Obviously there was his name plate outside the door. However, before you noticed that, the first thing to grab your attention was his voice.

Even with his door closed you could hear him, and when it was open the affect was even worse. This particular visit the door to his office was closed. I stood outside for a moment, fighting the slight curl to my lips. The muffled voice on the other side sounded too joyful for the normal dismal work environment. My guess was that he was on the found with that Gracia woman. I knocked, two sharp taps and the noise inside paused. "Hold for a second doll face, come in!"

Opening the door I stepped in and closed it quietly behind me. "Hughes, I know we've been friends for ages but I can't accept pet names from men." His office was the typical hardworking man's office. The hardwood desk and high back leather hair. Opposite from the desk were two plush chairs for when he expected company. His desk was in modest disarray. To say that it was messy would be a lie, but it wasn't exactly neat either. It was a nice combination of both.

"Oh, it's just Roy." He continued after a minute. Just Roy? I was THE Roy. "Yes, he pays me visits sometimes." I settled into one of the chairs in front of his desk. "Well, it's because I'm so gosh darn important, that's why!" Have you ever witnessed something so disgustingly cute that it just might rot your teeth? This was a prime example. Being in the same room while the lovers were chatting it up on the phone was giving me a horrible case of diabetes. "Of course, we have a dinner date, remember?" Diabetic coma in 3…2… "But hey doll face? I have to go for a bit, this might be important. I'll talk to you later." Damn that was close.

He hung up the phone and straightened in his chair so he could face me. Every ounce of joy melted from his face until he wore a mask of contentment. It was a pleasant face he used to greet people that came to his office. In some ways I guess you could call it one of his many business faces. "A dinner date? You two are certainly close." I smirked.

Hughes shrugged, removing his glasses for cleaning. "Yeah, well…what can I do for the flame Alchemist today?"

"The usual." I answered.

"I'll see what I can do."

"I came across something interesting today. All of the victims all work at Angelic Perfection."

He stared at me for a moment. "Yes, every victim was a worker from that house. That's pretty much the only pattern though."

"Has Gracia ever mentioned anything about a VIP pass?"

"A few times." He answered. "One of the girls had one?" I nodded. "Do you think it may have something to do with the case?"

"Not particularly. This was something I was curious about."

Hughes twirled the frames in his hand for a second and then placed on desk. "The VIP pass is given to hard workers. They are apparently picked randomly. If they accept the title, they are allowed to service more of the company's important clientele."

"Important clientele?" I asked.

He shrugged, giving me one of those belittling smiles that told me I had said something silly. "You were there. What do you think it means?"

"Smart ass." I leaned to the side, shifting comfortably into one side of the seat. "The military certainly enjoys the place." Maes smiled at me. It was a face that could mean several things. At the moment, none of those things were probably relevant to my recent case work.

"Was there anything else Roy?"

"One more thing."

"Business or curiosity?:

I watched him pick up the glasses and settle them back onto his face. "Business, I can't always play you know?" Again he smiled, leaning back in his own seat while he waited. "How many killers do you think are on the prowl?"

"According to my information only one." He answered.

"Hmm, is that so? Looks like we've come to the same conclusion."

"I think it's a single person committing these murders. A few of my superiors wants to send a entire team after a group that doesn't exist. I can finish the job with two people." It felt good, having him confirm my suspicions. Sometimes it took hearing the facts from someone else for you to believe them.

"I hope I'm included in that number."

Standing I smiled, making sure to push the chair back into place. "I try to include you as long as your schedule is free. We'll start setting things in motion two days from now." With that I turned for the door, waving over my shoulder.

So far so good, most of the paperwork was finished. Fury was completing every small project I tossed his way. Breda was on standby incase I needed him to travel. Riza was awaiting orders. Jean was ready for anything and everything. All of my pieces were in place. I just had to move them. In a few days I'd have Riza accompany me with Havoc as her backup. Maes would be there to tie up the loose ends.

The plan seemed so smooth, so perfect nothing could possibly go wrong. So what does one do with all their free time when work was slow you ask? Mild curiosity caused me to leave the government offices behind for the inner city. I just felt like dropping by to see how Ed was doing, that's all. Well, that was the initial plan anyway. When I got there I quickly learned that he wasn't home. How I was I supposed to know that he went into work today?

* * *

Waking up was a troublesome thing, especially when you weren't ready to do so. Edward Elric found himself in exactly this same situation. He awoke in slow, steady stages. His eyes slowly fluttered open, settling into a half mast position so that the room was blurred by sleep and his long lashes. After a minute or two he yawned, stretching like a content cat under warm blankets.

He could probably sleep for another four hours but something had interrupted his sleep to begin with. What was it? "Sleeping beauty finally awakes I see." The voice made him sit up in bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Gracia?" That's right. He was at work. The dark floral print walls and dark wood furniture slowly came into focus. She stood quietly on the opposite side from the bed, her back leaned casually against the room's door. Her outfit consisted of a lavender blouse and a black knee high skirt.

"Who else would check on you like this?"

Ed laughed, scratching at his hair as the last haziness of sleep left him. The last thing he remembered was taking a customer to this very same room. Specific features about the man were hazy. Ed did remember he was tall and slender with dark hair, or maybe not. The only thing that description did was remind him of Roy.

Although that may be because the whole time he was working today, the flame Alchemist was all he thought about. Roy just recently returned to his own line of work. How was that going? "How long have I been asleep?"

"About three hours. It's almost midnight." Gracia smiled, moving from the door to sit at the foot of the bed. "Business is slow. You should be getting home now. Alphonse is probably worried sick."

"Yeah. I know." He glanced over at the nearest nightstand. "I don't even remember falling asleep." A discarded wad of money sat on the dresser, a tip from his last customer. For a good price anyone could come in and buy his love and attention. For that hour, the customer was the most important person in the world. However afterwards they were quickly forgotten. It was nothing personal, just a fact of life.

Lately Ed found himself trapped within the walls of Angelic Perfection. Not because he wasn't allowed to leave, he simply couldn't afford to leave. Alphonse was due for a doctor's visit. The medicine required to maintain his health was very expensive. On top of that, the younger Elric recently had a steady decline in health. He'd most likely need a stronger dosage, which of course would mean more money.

The teen shifted on the bed, moving the blankets to make sure he remained covered. The concept of modesty almost seemed ridiculous in their profession. However, out of all of the workers that crammed together with their clients in this one building, she was the only one he felt the need to be decent around.

Gracia's face was serene. She sat at the edge of the edge of the bed, running her fingers over the bed's comforter. It was a nervous habit. "Be careful on the way home, alright?"

"Me be careful? Shouldn't I be saying that to you?" the blond chuckled. "The killer isn't after men. Are you sure you'll be alright?"

"I called Maes a little while ago. He'll be here to take me home soon. But you walk home Ed. Please be careful."

He stared at her for a moment. Edward loved Gracia, that much he was certain. She evoked warm feelings within him. Pleasant sensations that he thought had died along with his mother. To him, she was like a precious older sister. "Alright, I promise then."

That one sentence was enough to make her smile. It lit up her face like she had swallowed pure joy. It was contagious and soon he was smiling too. "Thank you." She stood then, smoothing her skirt as she made her way back to the door. "Goodnight Ed." It wouldn't be too out of character for her to pay him a visit, just to warm him about the dangers of a prostitute murdering psychopath.

Looking around he found pieces of his clothes discard in various places. His boots lay in a discarded heap at the door. They were the first things to go. Next, his shirt had been carelessly tossed to the floor a few feet away from the bed. His pants were tangled somewhere in the sheets.

Ed slowly crawled out of bed, gathering each article of clothing to throw them back on again. He didn't even bother straightening the wrinkles. Lacing up his boots he headed for the door. Gracia was right about one thing, business was certainly slow. Some nights were like that. He made his way through the houses twists and turns, bumping into various workers and a few customers.

The place seemed slightly lonely, the usual hum of constant movement just wasn't present at the moment. Apparently even the house itself was able to grow tired. As soon as the teen walked through the front doors, the night air greeted him. The sky was so black the stars shown like embedded diamonds. They would lose their glow once he ventured further into the city, but for now he would enjoy their company.

Sounds of his breathing and the soft scrape of his feet against the ground were the only sounds around him tonight. It was late enough for even the crickets to be silent. The stillness followed him even into the city. The only difference was that at least there were lights.

Shoving his hands into his pants pockets he hummed a random tune. Anything was better than the city's silence. As he traveled from one street to the next his mind settled on random thoughts. Alphonse was a constant worry, of course, but with the extra money he was bringing in they would manage. Gracia occasionally came to mind. Lately she had a glow to her that always made him smile like a goofy idiot. One day he'd surely have that happiness too.

Finally, his thoughts settled on Roy. Sadly, it was too late for a house visit, he'd love to stop by right about now. There was still a lot more he wanted to know about the Flame Alchemist. What were his hobbies? Was the rest of him as soft as his lips? What where his-

"No stop!"

Edward froze, stopping a few feet away from a alleyway. A streetlight rained down a circular beam of light, illuminated a few inches of the alley. The rest was swallowed by darkness. There were scuffling sounds of movement, however the voice was not heard again.

Thinking quickly he pressed himself against the nearby wall and drew in a few deep breaths. Gracia had mentioned a murderer, hell everyone had heard of it buy now. Damn and it was just his luck that he stumbled across the bastard. Was it too late for the woman? "No time to puss out now. I don't think I could sleep tonight if I did." A little verbal reassurance sometimes goes a long way. He carefully slinked into the alley. The darkness temporarily blinded his sight, but his ears still functioned. Just up ahead there were still signs of movement. Something, or rather someone was scuffling in the dark.

Ed moved lightly on his feet, stepping carefully to avoid any sudden sounds. If he got to the killer undetected, he could probably take them out. If he made any noise and was caught, it was all over, he'd probably get injured or even killed. Something fell at the end of that deep darkness and the sound of something dragging made him freeze in his tracks. His heart racing he started to crouch down into a hiding place.

There where footsteps, so light that they clicked on the pavement. That gave him pause, but not for long because soon after a body slammed into him and together they fell to the ground. "So…scared, I was so scared."

For a second he was dazed. The body that clung to him shivered as if a source of heat had been forcibly sucked from their very being. His face and shoulders were covered in hair although the color was unknown in the dark. A slight fragrance filled the air, most likely a perfume.

"It's alright now but," he scanned the dark looking for signs of movement, "we'll both get caught at this rate." Did she manage to knock the killer out by herself? If so, he could probably get her to safety first and then notify the authorities.

The body cuddled against him shifted suddenly, wiggling in his arms. "You're very brave." Edward loosened his grip.

"Oh, well tha-"

His vision exploded into tiny flashes of white lights and for a moment there was no sound. Even in the dark his vision spun. "Or you're very foolish." He felt cold, or maybe that was the ground. It was hard to tell at this point. The side and back of his head throbbed angrily and the muffled sound of his attacker's voice only made it worse. Edward groaned, blinking a few times to clear his head but no use. He was being moved. There was laughter, and then nothing but sweet, welcoming darkness.

* * *

I found myself in a room, or perhaps a bomb shelter, it was hard to tell the difference. The walls were plain and empty; the only thing that made them even remotely interesting was the fact that they were red. It wasn't just any red. It was the color of fresh warm blood.

Outside this room bullets were a constant background noise with the accompaniment of random explosions. Every now and the room would rattle. There were no windows, there were no doors. It was terribly empty with me at the center. My arms had been bound behind my back with chains that extended to the floor. I felt like a offering to some god of war.

Again the bullets sounded, this time a scream followed shortly after. The wall before me shifted as if it were made from some bendable material. It stretched inward towards me, forming a face that gaped wordlessly at me. There was no sound, but in my mind and soul I could still hear the screams.

Shaking. I was shaking; my entire being felt terribly cold. It was a sensation that could best be described as being submerged in some of the coldest waters this country had to offer. The more the battle sounded outside, the more faces began to appear on the blood red walls. They gapped at me, their empty eye sockets wide. If given the chance, there wasn't a doubt in my mind that they would breach that wall for me. After all I, no, we; the military had taken so many lives.

How many families did I slaughter in a day? How many lovers were permanently separated by my hellfire? How many children lay broken before my feet? The thought alone became too much to bear. Slowly but surely my head lowered towards my chest. This room was maddening, yet somehow fitting. Only a madman would have done those types of things and escaped clear of conscious.

The air filled with a soft chuckle that made me twitch. It was a familiar sound that seemed to fill me with warmth. "Edward?" my head raised, following the line of his slender body until it settled on his round face and oddly colored eyes.

"Colonel Mustang?" he smiled like a cat with cream, a completely contented gesture amongst all the chaos. How could he bare to stand there like that? Couldn't he see the room as I saw it? "Of course I see it." He smiled, leaning in close so that his words were spoken to my left ear.

I inhaled deeply. He had a strange mixture of scents. There was a hint of burning candles, and even incense battling for dominance with the smell of cheap cologne. Next there was a less harsh scent. It was soap of some kind. But beneath that was gentle breeze that caresses the skin on a sunny day and finally Ed. The pure essence of Edward Elric.

He had a slightly sweet smell to him that was diluted by the presence of sweat. It was as if I could reach out with my mouth and taste his skin to find the oddest flavored candy in the world; surprisingly salty first, but sweet later. Suddenly I felt so calm.

"What are you doing here this is..." But I trailed off. This was no place that I could think of.

"This is what?" he smiled. "This is only what you make it."

Looking around the room my heart began to sink again. Why in the hell would I possibly make something like this? "I don't understand."

"Only because you don't want to." He answered, walking carefully around the room. He moved as if transfixed by the horrific faces. Perhaps to him they were the most beautiful things in the world. "They are beautiful," He answered, "but all aspects of life are beautiful don't you think?"

I shook my head. "Stay out of my thoughts."

"I can't help but hear them when they're so loud." He walked the entire room, carefully examining each face before he returned to me again.

"What do you want?"

"Nothing." That same smile never faltered.

"Everyone wants something."

That statement earned me a laugh. "Do they now? I guess if I had to pick." the teen leaned in so that his face filled my vision. There was something in that stare that made me flinch, but I did not look away. "I'd have to say I'd want you." What the hell did that face mean?

"That's not funny."

"I guess not." He said with a shrug. "You know, everyone does things they're not proud of." He turned suddenly, like a restless child so that his back was in plain view.

"And why do you care?"

For a moment the world seemed to hold its breath. The grotesque faces on that blood red wall stopped moving, frozen in their various positions. The sounds from outside the room ceased. Everything was still.

"Because," he started, "you're the first one to treat me like a person." He turned again, and this time I knew the meaning behind the look on his face. It was mercy; pity for a man that had done so much wrong. Standing before me he was telling me to forgive myself. Hearing it from him almost made it seem easy.

The room warm, blurring until there was nothing left but hazy images and his scent. I felt light headed, like I was breaking the surface of water after being submerged for so long. The sensation startled me and I sat up suddenly, looking around.

That's right, I was at the Elric's. The apartment looked just as plain as it had the last time. Holding my head, a soft groan escaped my lips.

"You're awake now?" Alphonse's face stared down at me curiously. He was a mirror image of his brother, they both shared the same golden blond hair and honey colored eyes. Their expressions and personalities were quiet different, but the resemblance was obviously there.

I sat up slowly and he moved back to give me some room. "Yeah, I didn't know I feel asleep. I'm sorry Al."

He shook his head, moving slowly back to his place on the second couch. He hobbled on his feet as if ever step taken caused him some form of pain. It was one of the reasons I had stayed. Edward Elric hadn't returned home from work and his younger brother wasn't feeling well. The younger Elric eased back onto the second couch, curling into blankets until only his head was visible. "Ed still hasn't returned yet." He muttered softly.

"Does he always work this late?" Warm. I was so warm. Looking down the source of the heat came from Ed's red jacket. It had been laid across my upper body like a makeshift blanket. That would explain the scent from my dream.

"Never."

Shit. My eyes traveled to the nearest wall clock. It was 4am. "What could be keeping…?" the thought trailed off, replaced by a new more sinister one. Every victim of the recent murders came from that damned house. What if he were caught up in it somehow? "Alphonse, I'll go get your brother. Wait here for me, okay?"

"Take care." He turned on his side, disappearing completely beneath his blankets. Perhaps he felt that bad, or maybe he just didn't know about the murderer lurking about. I didn't question it. At the moment my only concern was trying to reach Ed in time. It had be decided that we would move in a few days to capture the culprit. Damn it, don't you just hate when plans change?

* * *

Ed awoke to the sound of soft humming. His head felt terribly heavy. His arms had been bound high about his head; his feet barely touched the ground. The last thing he could honestly remember was that woman.

That's right, whatever happened to her anyway? Looking around proved to be a difficult task, his head throbbed something terrible. Just from that sensation alone it was obvious the area would be sensitive to the touch. But what happened?

The room itself was very cold, cold enough to send his breath scattering in white puffs of smoke. He wasn't the only thing left hanging. As far as the eye could see, the area was covered with hanging beef carcasses. They dangled lifelessly from their hooks. The meat was terribly red, so red that it made his head hurt. Directly across from him was a wooden table and a chair. It seemed out of place to have such thing in what could only be a freezer, but he would question it later if he managed to survive.

The humming grew louder accompanied by the steady sound of footsteps. A lone figure sauntered into view. Thick brown hair hung over round shoulders, hiding the face from view. A large tattered dress adorned that slender frame. The fabric hung low on one shoulder, exposing the slightest bit of shoulder.

"You," Ed struggled against his chains, "you were with me in the alley right? What happened? Who are you?"

The figure said nothing at first and then slowly a hand reached up, intertwining fingers in to the brown hair. "I'm the person that controls your life at the moment," the voice started off wispy and then gradually dropped to a smooth tenor, "but you can call me Barry." The wig was pulled effortless from the man's hair, revealing short, dirty blond hair beneath.

Edward froze, his face stricken with silent horror. His captor laughed manically, a sharp abrasive sound that cut through the stillness of the freezer. "Yes, that's right boy! Fear me, it's so much better that way!"

"You can't be serious?" the teen squirmed. "You're the one that's been hunting the girls!"

Barry shrugged, laying various tools out on the small wooden table. "You have a very interesting shape to you. From a distance you looked like a young woman." He sighed, letting his fingers linger on a meat cleaver. "Ah, well, a prostitute is a prostitute I suppose."

Just from watching him a few moments Ed determined a few things. First, the killer was easily distracted as long as he could continue to play the part of the helpless prey. Second, the killer was fairly skilled with knifes. From the looks of his surroundings he was most likely in the freezer of a butcher shop. He just hadn't expected the killer to be a actual, well, butcher. If he survived this he might just give up meat for a while.

"But why do something like that?"

The man paused turning to give him a condescending look. It was a glance usually given when a person asked a immature question. "Why do anything in life?" he giggled.

"Okay, wrong question then. What made you start?"

"But that's the boring part! Who the hell cares why I started." He spun suddenly, swinging the cleaver out towards the young boy's abdomen.

Edward screamed, wiggling his body away from the deadly slice. "Please," he gasped, "if I'm going to die anyway, at least tell me that much!"

The butcher had the nerve to look thoughtful. Leaning against the table he sighed, scratching his head with the dull end of the blade. "I'm a married man, well I was at least. I think it started there. Or perhaps I was wrong. I've always loved cutting things up. So perhaps this started in my childhood."

"What happened?" As long as he could keep calm and distract Barry, he could figure out a way to escape.

"My mom was a single parent, a lovely thing; so lovely that she was paid for her love every night. There were so many men." He smiled.

"So your mother was a prostitute?"

"Oh yes, first before all things, even before her own son she was definitely that."

"That's sad to hear, I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "Oh, no, no; there's no need to apologize. She came home with a drunkard one day and he started to beat her. So I figured, I'd play the valiant son and save her."

"What happened?"

"I hit the bastard with a cast iron skillet." He laughed, looking down at his hands as if they were covered in pure gold. "There was so much blood! But, mother never thanked me. She beat me instead. After all, I never offered her anything but another mouth to feed, or so she said."

"That's awful."

"Yes it is, so I hit her too." He made the movements in mid air, clenching his fist like he was holding the skillet. He would turn to the side as if he were preparing to swing a bat and then let go. After a few giggles he changed positions, holding his hands above his head for a short pause before swinging down repeatedly. "The police thought the man beat my mother and I in turn beat him saving her life. They were so wrong."

"So that's why you started killing?" Edward twisted his wrists. Just a bit more and he could possibly transmute his way out of this.

"Well, ironically when I got older I would kill just to kill. It was like scratching an itch." He smiled again. "Until I met my wife, then for a time I felt truly happy." The butcher giggled again, staring into Ed's stricken face. "But even that didn't last long. Even my sweet Yvette had multiple lovers. That's when I started killing prostitutes. But that's enough talk for now."

He smiled, walking over with the cleaver in hand. Ed watched it carefully like a mouse trapped by a cunning cat. Barry started humming again, laying the blade against his prey's neck. He applied pressure until blood flowed against the smooth metal. It wasn't a lot, just enough to color the blade.

"That's what I want to see." The butcher stared at the life fluid like he'd memorize everything about it in that one instance. "This is truly the best part, don't you think?" he asked, bringing the blade to his lips to lick it clean.

The teen twitched, his heart fluttering in his chest like a trapped thing desperate for escape. Watching Barry lick his blood wasn't the most disgusting thing he had seen, there had been much worse. It was the expression on the man's face as he did it. It was the face of a stricken man; a desperate look of a man that had a terrible addiction.

In that one moment alone Ed also knew that Barry would do more than kill him. That was too easy. The man would do just as his name suggested, butcher. In one last attempt he struggled, maneuvering his wrists for his escape. The bindings that held him to the hook were to tight for him to simply wiggle loose. His only other option was alchemy.

His fingers fumbled, brushing against the cold metal of the hook. Okay, he had the substance he wanted to alter. Now he had to figure out what to do with it. Barry inhaled deeply, a casual smile settling onto his face. Damn, that was never a good sign. Time was running out, he did the only thing that came to mind.

Twisting his wrists so that his hands faced each other he clapped, igniting the catalyst that would ensure his escape. For a spilt second the world seemed to pause. The only thing that mattered was the drum of energy between his palms and the hook that dangled him like the beef carcasses surrounding him.

Ed reached out to touch the hook, forcing that creation energy into the metal. At first there was nothing, the hook gave way, receding into the ceiling. The teen tumbled to the freezer's floor but quickly recovered, stumbling to his feet.

Barry had the grace to look dumbfounded for a second. "A alchemist?" he mused. "And a whore at that; I'll cut you open just to see what makes you tick." He advanced forward, stopping as the spot where the boy hung a second ago shuddered violently. Steaming hot water erupted from the hole as if on cue, raining upon him like hot, furious rain.

The man shrieked, stumbling backwards in the slick mess until his back hit the wooden table. "This changes nothing boy!" he shouted. "I'll find you just like I found the others." He finished the sentence with a maniacal giggle that sent shivers down Ed's spine.

It had been a simple matter to use the hook to connect to one of the water pipes. Heating it up came next. However the heat was just a temporary distraction it would probably not last for long. On top of that, the hot water meeting with the cool air of the freezer created a small problem. A light mist started filling the room. It covered the freezer until it covered everything with a light haze. Barry was right about one thing, this was his freezer, he would know it well enough to find him in no time.

However when it came to that, he wouldn't be unprepared. Ed found a empty hook and transmuted it into a makeshift blade. Anything was better than nothing at the moment. He crept quietly through the many rows of meat, eyes darting back and forth. Every passing shadow made him jump. Barry himself had become virtually silent, making it hard to determine his location. If Ed called out to taunt him, his location could be blown. Of course there was always the option that the butcher already knew his location and was just watching, waiting.

That thought sent his heart rate skyrocketing until the beating in his chest became a almost constant pain. He paused, taking cover behind one of the many hanging pieces of meat to recover. It was simple. He would have to find the exit and escape before he was caught. On the other hand, the exit would probably be where Barry was waiting for him. Either way the freezer was one big trap. Standing still wouldn't help him either. Besides, he was beginning to get too cold, and not just because of the freezer's temperature.

After a moment Edward pushed on, creeping along until he met with one of the cold walls of the freezer. At this point all he had to do was follow the wall until he met with the door. It would be wise to continue to use the carcasses for cover though. With that in mind, he crept carefully in and out of the meat maze. At one point he even dropped down to his knees, trying to catch a glimpse of the butcher's legs. The mist made it almost impossible to distinguish. It would be foolish to attack something based on a assumption. He'd be fucked if it was wrong.

In the distance he could see it; the shape of a door. It seemed so close, but the fear of what may lay in waiting for him made it seem much further. Carefully he began to inch closer, taking small steps only after carefully peeping to make sure the cost was clear.

Despite his good fortune so far, it was hard to completely shake away the feeling of dread. The teen ducked suddenly. Barry's meat cleaver sliced through empty air. Something told him it would cut just as easily through him as it did meat. Rolling to his feet, he stood on wobbly legs. Barry cackled, jabbing the knife in the boy's direction.

Ed would hop back occasionally swinging the cold carcasses into the butcher's path. The man kept coming, alternating between graceful swipes and smooth lunges. He threw his entire weight behind his weapon crying out in glee when one strike left a gash along the boy's arm.

The blond stumbled backwards until his back smacked against the metal door. Barry cornered him, lips curling into a sinister smile. "All this running really has your blood pumping I bet." He chuckled.

It was then that the teen chose to remember the transmuted knife. In his moment of panic it had simply become another part of him; something to cling desperately too. Now that he was cornered, with no easy escape he would use it to its full advantage. His breathing came out in stuttering breaths. Every heavy rise and fall of his chest made the mad man before him stare as if he beheld precious gems. Nothing Barry was thinking about was on the outside though.

That look of hunger had nothing to do with Ed's looks and everything to do with his heart as it beat and pulsed furiously in its ribcage, as well as the blood that flowed in his veins. Barry reared his arm back, eyes wide with excitement.

The only thing Edward could do was raise his weapon and brace for impact; well, that and pray.

* * *

She stared down at the shop disdainfully, brushing strains of hair carried by the wind from her round face. "That butcher will be the next pet." She stated more to herself, than to her skinny companion.

"Only because he keeps killing what we have to work with." Came the answer. "He's taking out cheap materials."

"Cheap materials are something that can be easily found Envy." She gently wrapped her arms around her body, just below her breasts. "But this one is different from the women. The Butcher we can send there."

Envy stared at her for a moment. "I suppose so, I don't really see what's so important about that brat anyway." For a moment he let his gaze wonder elsewhere. "He isn't one of us."

"Maybe not, but our orders were clear. Continue to supply what he needs until you're told otherwise."

"And what about the whore Lust?" This time he nodded towards the shop. "Wasn't he important? I don't he can be useful dead."

She simply smiled, eyes gazing off into the distance with vision much sharper than that of a normal human. There were cars racing through the quiet city streets. They grew closer by the second. "I don't think we have to worry about that at all."

* * *

Topazia: ...poor Ed...


End file.
